Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help you file for 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 crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's condition could have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for a birth injury when they fail to recognize or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (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 make-up, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may help parents determine the root of a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen due to medications. Many commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in a variety of locations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious iowa Birth Defect lawsuit defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the chance of having mcgregor birth defect lawsuit defects.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.