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. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. If a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect, they can be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet 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 that come with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. 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 file a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the 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 suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for birth defect plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects as well.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.