10 Facts About Birth Defect Litigation That Will Instantly Put You In A Good Mood

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you claim compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and cause a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to recognize or adequately respond to fetal distress. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents in determining the root of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defect law firms defects are caused by genetics and factors during the 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 particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for future and current medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defect lawsuit defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, birth defect law firms such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.