Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity, it can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held accountable for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to identify or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to 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 part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or the birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to examine your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the reason behind a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. Certain common medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may sue families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families that had children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

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 as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.