Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child is born with a birth defect it can be devastating for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an action to collect compensation for the expenses of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. 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 accountable for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in
birth defect lawsuits can help determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.
A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or properly respond to fetal distress. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.
The difference between birth defects and 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 be caused by Erb's palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum - a swelling on the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC
birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A
birth defect attorneys defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the root of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medication. A number of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and
birth defect chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.
It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can assist families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury,
Birth Defect as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital expenses as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the cause of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are working or in their home.
Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect in their child could be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.
Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.
Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.
Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.