Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help to file a claim for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can help determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

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

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A broomfield birth defect law firm defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify what caused the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens because they affect the healthy growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in many different situations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time 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 these canal winchester birth defect lawsuit defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because 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 may be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects and other health problems. Certain lawton birth Defect Attorney defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.