Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should seek legal advice whenever you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's illness could be due to a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to identify or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or the birth. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the root of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medication. Many common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.
It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of 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 fees medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from 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 identify the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.
Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the normal development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are used in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause
birth defect attorneys defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.
Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.
LK's experienced birth defect
attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.