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 it could have a devastating effect on your family and you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, birth defect lawyer which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects, so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus through causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in many different situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for birth Defect lawyer these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a wide range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.