Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it can be devastating for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards 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 with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of an injury to the fetus if they fail to identify or adequately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the reason for the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family believes their child's birth defect may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defects and health problems. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and birth defect lawsuits expert witnesses like toxicologists and birth defect Lawsuits epidemiologists.