10 Things We All Love About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or the birth. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result 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 of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused due to medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and housesofindustry.org quality of life. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of 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 identify the cause of birth defects so they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth problems, lnx.tiropratico.com including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause various birth defects and other health issues. 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, employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.