10 Meetups Around Birth Defect Litigation You Should Attend

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or Birth Defect Attorney injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as 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 pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the root of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen due to medications. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine what caused the birth defect in order to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause organs to be malformed. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against various firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements for families whose children were 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 the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defects, birth defect attorney as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, 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 due to improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.