10 Meetups On Birth Defect Litigation You Should Attend

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as 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 that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the root of a child's birth defect lawsuit injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur because of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostosis.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the cause of the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their home.

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

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, birth defect law firms North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, birth defect Law firms and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects as well.

The experienced birth defect law firms (click this) defect attorneys at LK have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.