Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can have a devastating effect on the entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you claim compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and cause birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications 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 accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, 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 businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the root of the collinsville Birth defect law firm defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects, as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are well-known to increase the chance of having warner robins birth defect lawyer defects.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from various birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.