Why Nobody Cares About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you claim reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or the birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen due to medications. Many common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their products. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures 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 in their child could result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for birth defect lawyers these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, birth defect lawyers geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.