12 Facts About Birth Defect Litigation To Make You Take A Look At Other People

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects can help you claim reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect and/or death, they may be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be responsible for an injury to the fetus if they fail to diagnose or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or ruptured during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the cause for a child's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus by producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals can be present in a variety situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for Birth Defect Attorney their ability to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.