Do You Know How To Explain Birth Defect Litigation To Your Mom

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could be devastating for you and your entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries 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 triggered by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the baby's arms and limbs 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, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over 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 a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur because of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in 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 the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with serious 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 factors. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and Birth Defect Attorney expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.