Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in an injury or birth defect law firms defect, they can be held accountable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer - http://fourtoons.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=531276, can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. Many commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect in order to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they are working or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe 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 conditions. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb pollutants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects resulting from unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.