20 Fun Informational Facts About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you file for compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held liable for Birth defects the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or the birth defect lawsuits.

A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to identify or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and Birth defects hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or the birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to examine your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur due to medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These medications have been linked to a higher risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defect law firms defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses as well as 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 on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause a variety of birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.