Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy 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 makeup and injuries are triggered due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injuries can result from issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the cause of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child could be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause numerous birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a range of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.