Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly mount up.

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, so you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and Birth Defect Lawsuit brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may sue parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to 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 suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause Birth defect Lawsuit defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects resulting from unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and birth defect lawsuit chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.