Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in hermantown birth defect lawsuit defects may be able to help you seek compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in la Crosse birth defect attorney defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could 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 problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked to an increase in chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in many different situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the chance of farmington birth defect law firm defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

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