Darrell Niles asked 9 months ago
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child’s condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth defect attorney.
A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or don’t respond appropriately. This could lead to many serious problems like 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, delivery, or labor. Injury can include Erb’s Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant’s arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, an inflammation of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child’s birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the mother’s pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.
The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.
A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the injury or disability, in addition to loss of income and quality of life. This could include doctor’s, hospital pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapies.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to discover what caused the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their homes.
Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.
Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the Birth defect lawyers (http://woojincopolymer.co.kr/) have obtained significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.
Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase a woman’s risk of developing birth defects.
LK’s highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.