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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an action to collect reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and cause birth defects or injuries, they can be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury to the fetus if they fail to diagnose or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

birth defect attorney injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen as a result of medication. Many common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and birth defect quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals could be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.