Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide In Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you seek compensation for the cost of caring for Birth Defect your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and cause a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, Birth Defect DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the disability or injury and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defect attorney defects. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defect law firms defects as well.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.