Why You Should Focus On Improving Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity this can have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects may be able to help you claim compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defect law firms defects are complex and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these 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 situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen due to medications. Many common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital fees physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify what caused the birth defect, so they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their home.

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

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, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of firms that were responsible for firms the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that their child's birth defect may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complicated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.