Birth Defect Litigation Explained In Fewer Than 140 Characters

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. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could assist you file for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could have been caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and birth defect law firms limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defect law firms defects can offer a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause for an infant's birth injury. While many birth defect law firm defects are due to the genetics of the mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medication. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently 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 these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that their child's birth defect may result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

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