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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to recognize or respond adequately to fetal distress. This could lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen due to medications. A number of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers that come with their drugs. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover what caused the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus by producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held 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 who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects, as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.