Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.
A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defect law firm defects could help you seek compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child’s health condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.
A doctor 72.viromin.com/index/d1?diff=0&utm_source=ogdd&utm_campaign=26607&utm_content=&utm_clickid=9sg408wsws80o8o8&aurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F706771897&an=&utm_term=&site=&pushMode=popup could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb’s Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant’s arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation in order to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.
It is a doctor’s professional duty to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, in addition to loss of income and quality of life. This can include doctor’s, hospital pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.
Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are used in a variety of locations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.
Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects 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
Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.
If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.
Arsenic in drinking water or birth defect lawyers cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the chances of having birth defects as well.
Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits typically involve complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.