Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth defect lawsuits injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy, or during delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, 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 fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. They are trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at 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 due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defect lawsuits defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.