Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the best course for birth defect attorneys you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur because of medications. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, 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.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers that come with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This can include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or birth defect attorneys drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect, so they can sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between 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 and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.