20 Fun Facts About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it can be devastating for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause an injury or birth defect, they can be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may be liable for birth injuries if they fail to identify or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - swelling of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. Certain common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and other drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.