Birth Defect Litigation: A Simple Definition

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity, it can be devastating for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect law firm defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the cause for the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses exposing pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to identify the root of the birth defect lawsuit (simply click the up coming website page) defect in order to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, birth defect lawsuit or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown 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 involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated can cause a variety of birth defects and birth defect lawsuit health problems. Certain birth defects can also be linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.