Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause for the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur due to medications. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's duty is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for vimeo not properly informing mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in 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 can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out the reason for the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they are working or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these tehachapi birth defect lawsuit defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For Vimeo example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's risk of birth defects too.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from many birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.