Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it could cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC brielle birth defect law firm defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the root cause of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A bellmead birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the reason for the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects, as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.