Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for attorneys birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard 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 with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of bellaire birth defect lawsuit injuries if they fail to recognize or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or birth. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks of their medication. 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 pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit 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 referred to as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals can 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 can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase the chances of having birth defects as well.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.