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. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly increase.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child’s health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.
A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person’s genetic makeup, while injuries are caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or birth. Injury can include Erb’s Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant’s arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It’s a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of a child’s birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during a mother’s pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. Many commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.
The duty of a doctor is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor’s, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.
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 companies that 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 work or at home.
Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be present in a variety locations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.
Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against various firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.
Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman’s chances of having birth defects as well.
The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically involve sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.