Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help to file a claim for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should seek legal advice whenever 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 responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's condition could be due to an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as 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 due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are present in a variety environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defect law firm defects of a serious nature when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with 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 issues. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at their workplace or home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.