Beware Of This Common Mistake When It Comes To Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can result in a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect law firms defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. Certain commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the root of the birth defect so that they can sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to the fact that they influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, Birth Defect Attorneys are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.