Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (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 however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen due to medications. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other costs, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of the birth defect so that they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are present in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment and then develop birth defect lawsuit defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and birth defect lawsuit toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.