Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide Towards Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held accountable for birth defect the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's illness could be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the root of an infant's birth defect lawsuit injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused because of medications. A number of common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the root of the birth defect attorney defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

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

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

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water Some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.