Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to recognize or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to review your case, and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney (www.Tadalive.com) may be able to help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for birth defects, so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.