Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide For Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you seek compensation to cover the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or birth defect defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. 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 first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out what caused the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are working or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defect lawsuits defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects too.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.