Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect this can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can assist you in determining the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

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

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves that energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide 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 lawyer may help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are used in various settings, Birth Defect Lawyers including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects, as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as 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 known to increase the risk of developing birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.