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Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it can have a devastating effect on you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and result in an injury or birth defect and/or death, they may be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be the cause of an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. 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 can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for birth defects so they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

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

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child could result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

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

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.