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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect law firms defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This can lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the reason behind 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. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers exposed to them 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 secured substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers can increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.