From Around The Web The 20 Most Amazing Infographics About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects may be able to help to file a claim for reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could have been caused by an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to fetal distress. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the root of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defect law firm defects. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines, certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and birth defect attorneys heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their products. 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 a pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital fees medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and other drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the normal development of a fetus through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defect attorneys defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.