Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, Birth Defect therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and cause birth defects or injuries, they can be held accountable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and birth defect brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome which develops when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the cause for a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur as a result of medications. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to find out what caused the birth defect in order to sue companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes the birth defect of their child could be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.