7 Simple Tips For Rocking Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defect lawsuits defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify or adequately respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medication. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the risks associated with their medicines. For example, 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 pregnancies.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the root of the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects, Birth Defect Lawyers as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects due to improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.