Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you seek compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions like Erb's Palsy which is caused when the nerves that stimulate and control the infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth defect lawsuit injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.