Why You Should Concentrate On Improving Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from conditions like Erb's Palsy, which occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation in order to review your case, and birth defect lawsuits determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for birth defect lawsuits malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defect so that they can sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with severe defects because 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 believes that the birth defect of their child could be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are well-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 various birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.