Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide To Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

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

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail to recognize or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. 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 the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

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

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the reason for the birth defect, so they can file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, birth defect or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, may cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's risk of birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.