Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect attorneys defect, it can be devastating for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you file for compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and cause birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents in determining the cause for an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen due to medications. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as 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 consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their products. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. 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 that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the reason for the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.