15 Terms Everybody Is In The Birth Defect Litigation Industry Should Know

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a lot of grief for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you claim reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can help determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is the caput succedaneum, an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these conditions can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best way to proceed 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 genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These medications have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file 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. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes the birth defect of their child could be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and Birth Defect Attorney water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.