How To Get More Results From Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.

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 if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root of a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur due to medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in first trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the root of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and birth defect attorneys pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. 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 coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.