Why You Should Focus On Improving Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an action to collect reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition may be the result of an error birth defect attorneys made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered by something occurring during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - swelling of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root of a child's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify what caused the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they are working or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence or 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 contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe 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.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), Birth Defect Attorneys toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a wide range of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.