Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth deformity, it can cause a lot of grief for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.
A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help to file a claim for compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.
A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The distinction between
birth defect lawsuits defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington,
birth defects DC lawyer who is skilled in
birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.
The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancy.
A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the root of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.
Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a embryo through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some
birth defect attorneys defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes their child's birth defect may result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.
Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water 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 from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and 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 make semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.
LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.