Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.
A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you claim compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect, they can be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The difference 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 defect law firm. Injury can include 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 which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
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birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines, certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.
The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.
A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and treatments.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for birth defects so they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.
Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be present in a variety situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.
If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.
Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as 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 resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.