Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you seek compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect and/or death, they may be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may be liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defect attorney defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation in order to review your case, and determine the most appropriate course for you and birth defect law firms your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen as a result of medication. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of birth defects so they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be used in a variety of environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe Birth Defect Law Firms (Http://Itsroom.Co.Kr) defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at their workplace or home. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.