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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an action to collect compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in a birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to identify or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy 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 include conditions like Erb's Palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for current and future medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital fees, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify what caused the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defect law firms defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and some are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects as well.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits usually involve a complicated scientific analysis and experts, birth defect such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.