Why Nobody Cares About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and cause birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition may be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. The causes of injuries include conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to review your case, and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur due to medications. Certain common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs to be malformed. These chemicals are found in many different environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who had children born with serious defects as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes their child's birth defect may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from contaminated coal can cause numerous birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.