Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity, it can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits will help you determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for an injury to the fetus if they fail to recognize or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy 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 during delivery. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

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

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different locations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. 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 as well.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.