10 Basics On Birth Defect Litigation You Didn t Learn In School

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to identify or adequately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions like Erb's Palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the root of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defect attorneys defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the root of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene 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 exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes that their child's birth defect may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

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

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.