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 this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file claim for compensation for the cost of caring for birth defect your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can result in a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the disability or injury as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with serious defects as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water Some of them 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 and other health issues. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the chance of having birth defects as well.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from many birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and birth defect expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.