Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child is born with a birth defect it can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can help determine the cause of your child’s illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.
A doctor may be liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb’s palsy which is caused when the nerves that stimulate and control the infant’s arms are stretched or torn during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawsuits defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.
A doctor’s duty 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 may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their products. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for future and birth defect lawyers current medical expenses related to the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor’s fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.
Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.
Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf 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 of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.
If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.
For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of birth defects.
LK’s highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.