Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it can have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you file for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur due to medications. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most commonly used. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women inhale or absorb pollutants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.