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. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can add up quickly.
A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defect or injury the doctor could be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's illness could be due to an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.
It is a doctor's professional duty to consider these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.
A birth defect attorney can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.
Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be present in a variety locations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them while 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 won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.
For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause various birth defects and health issues. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.
LK's experienced birth defect attorneys [
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