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, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth defect law firms injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or the birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by birth defect law firms defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers of the risks of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancies.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from 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 the birth defect in order to sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical malpractice, birth defect prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase the chance of having birth defects.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.