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. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and 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 damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be accountable for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as 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 make-up, while injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy 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 can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC encinitas birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen due to medications. Many common medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester 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 costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover what caused the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain beachwood birth defect lawyer defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for reno birth defect law firm defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.