Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held accountable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, 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. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, in addition to loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the root of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they influence the healthy development of a embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are the aliphatic hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe birth defects because 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 believes their child's birth defect may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects too.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a wide range of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.