Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and cause an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can help determine if your child’s condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb’s palsy which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a free consultation to review your case, and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents in determining the root of a child’s birth defect lawsuit injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur because of medications. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor’s responsibility is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include doctor’s, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or birth Defect Attorney cause malformed organs. These chemicals are present in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in 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 families who had their children born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment, they can cause serious birth defect lawsuit defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman’s chances of having birth defects.

LK’s experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.