Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover compensation for birth defect lawsuit the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defect lawsuit defects could be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth defect settlement, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect compensation defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and birth Defect lawsuit heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect litigation defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals are found in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child may result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

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

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defect law defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

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