Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an action to collect compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be accountable for an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome which develops when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth defect attorney, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect law defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused because of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of birth defects, Birth Defect Attorneys so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the likelihood of birth defect attorneys defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defect legal defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.