Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.
A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist you file for compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and cause a birth defect or injury, they can be held responsible for damage 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 an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor may also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.
The difference 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 an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or delivery. The most common injuries are Erb’s Palsy where the nerves that control the infant’s arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer may help parents determine the cause for a child’s birth injury. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostosis.
A doctor’s duty is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for current and future medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, 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 of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out what caused the Birth Defect Lawsuit defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their homes.
Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.
For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects and 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, which are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman’s chance of having birth defects as well.
LK’s experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of 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.