Why You Should Concentrate On Improving Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause birth defect or injury the doctor could be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from 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 as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling 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 offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for current and future medical expenses related to the disability or injury as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine what caused the birth defect so that they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could 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 in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth defect lawsuits injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and some are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and 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 to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.