5 Laws That Will Help In The Birth Defect Litigation Industry

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect lawsuits deformity this can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect, they can be held liable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's illness could be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth defect lawsuits delivery, or labor. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with 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 businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of birth defects, so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could 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.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.