Watch Out: What Birth Defect Litigation Is Taking Over And What Can We Do About It

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth defect lawsuits it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could assist you claim compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complex, so it is important to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held liable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or delivery. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome which is caused when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs including certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, birth defect attorney they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or birth defect attorney at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defects as well.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.