Brayden Furr asked 10 months ago
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.
A Hyattsville Birth defect Lawsuit defect lawyer can assist you in filing an appeal to receive 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 as soon as possible.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child’s illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. A possible injury is Erb’s spalsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant’s limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It’s an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best option for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root cause of an infant’s birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medication. Many common medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.
A doctor’s responsibility is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.
An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor’s, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and treatments.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may 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 to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.
Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be used in a variety of situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.
Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.
If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.
For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.
The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from various birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.