Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you file for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your children 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 are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in a birth defect or injury, they can be held liable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

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

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or deming birth defect attorney. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a free consultation to analyze your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. Certain common medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the injury or disability, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations which expose pregnant women and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the cause of the birth defect, so they can sue companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the palatine Birth defect Lawyer defect of their child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health problems. 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, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the risk of birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.