20 Fun Facts About Birth Defect Litigation
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can add up quickly.
A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help you file for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect law firms injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.
A doctor's duty is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can assist families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the injury or disability, and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical expenses, as well aidive devices and therapies.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to identify what caused the birth defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their homes.
Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are used in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are the aliphatic hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.
Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child may result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.
Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.
For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are well-known to increase the chances of having birth defects too.
LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.