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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you seek compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to recognize or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root cause of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medications. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on 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 many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers that come with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major birth defect congenital problems in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine what caused the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus by producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in many different situations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers can increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.