A Trip Back In Time: What People Discussed About Birth Defect Litigation 20 Years Ago

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, birth defect lawyer therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and fail to respond appropriately. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer (http://www.healthndream.Com/) can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a profound effect on fetuses, Birth defect lawyer particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been linked to an increase in chance of limb deformities, 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. When doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the risks associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defect law firms defects. They are trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically involve complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.