Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth defect lawsuit injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction 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 the birth. Injuries can result from issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves that power and birth defect attorney control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation in order to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the risks of their medication. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for birth defects so they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace 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 can interfere with the normal development of a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in a variety of locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical, birth defect attorney they should consult a DC flower mound birth defect lawsuit injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.