Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and birth defect Lawyers result in an injury or birth defect, they can be held liable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's condition could be due to an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defect lawsuits defects may be able to help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury, Birth defect Lawyers and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to the fact that they influence the healthy development of a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child could be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.