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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect lawsuits defect this can be devastating for birth you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you claim compensation to cover the costs of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and cause a birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can result in a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostosis.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may sue families of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus through producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be present in a variety situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against various firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury attorney 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 chemicals are called Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects, as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.