Be On The Lookout For: How Birth Defect Litigation Is Taking Over And What Can We Do About It

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating effect on you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - a swelling on the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best option for you and firms your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents in determining the cause for a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations which expose pregnant women and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects and health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects as well.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.