Avoid Making This Fatal Mistake When It Comes To Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by something occurring during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and birth defect lawsuits control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of the 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 contribute to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can influence the healthy development of a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects as well.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.