Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it can be devastating for you and your entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in springfield birth defect law firm defects may be able to help you claim reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel immediately.

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 not in line with this standard and result in a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

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

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents in determining the root of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's duty is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medication. For instance, Vimeo Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for current and future medical expenses related to the injury or disability, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A homer birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or Vimeo in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.