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 this can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could assist you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. 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 will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be liable for birth injuries if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, 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 pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect to sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defect lawsuit defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects 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 these birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes their child's birth defect may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, Birth Defect and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.