Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects may be able to help to file a claim for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to examine your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to help parents determine the reason behind the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. Many common medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and defects other expenses, as well aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, defects prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.