Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide For Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves that energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur because of medications. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. For birth defect instance, 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 a pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for current and future medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect so that they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

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

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects due to improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, birth defect embryologists and occupational medicine experts.