Why We Love Birth Defect Litigation And You Should Too

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or fail to respond appropriately. This can result in a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason for the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with 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 determine the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the development of a healthy the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects 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 a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

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

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects, as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of birth defects too.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complicated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.