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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help to file a claim for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could be the result of a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. 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 pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with 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 what caused the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are working 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 known as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of birth defects too.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defect attorney defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or birth defect toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.