Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it can be devastating for the entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, and you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held accountable for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury to the fetus if they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur due to medications. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney defect lawyer can assist family members receive compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the disability or injury, links.musicnotch.com as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the cause of the birth defect, so they can sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.