Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it could be devastating for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an action to collect compensation for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in a birth defect or injury, they can be held responsible for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for Shenandoah birth defect law firm defects will help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to a range of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or during delivery. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the root of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur as a result of medication. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet the standards of care required, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the root of the birth defect to sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

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

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult an DC guadalupe birth defect lawsuit injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the chance of having birth defects too.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from many birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.