7 Simple Tricks To Making A Statement With Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, 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, birth, or labor. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital fees physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine what caused the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect law firm defect lawyers (check out here) have won substantial settlements on behalf 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 are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, birth defect lawyers such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically require an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.