10 Essentials To Know Birth Defect Litigation You Didn t Learn In The Classroom

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. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or adequately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, Birth defect attorneys DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be due to 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.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defect attorneys defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

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

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.