Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could assist you claim reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defect attorneys defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth defect lawyers, or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the disability or injury as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the root of the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to the fact that they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety situations, such as processing of semiconductors and birth defect attorneys metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase the chance of having birth defects too.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a wide range of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.