Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth 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 help you file an action to collect reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor’s actions are not in line with this standard and cause an injury or birth defect, they can be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine the cause of your child’s illness. caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can lead to a range of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person’s genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or the birth. The most common injuries are Erb’s Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant’s arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the cause for a child’s birth defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence the mother’s pregnancy, they can also occur because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor’s professional duty to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for the future and Birth defects present medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees medical expenses, doctor’s fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes that their child’s birth defect may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase a woman’s risk of developing birth defects too.

LK’s skilled birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.