The Reasons To Focus On Enhancing Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should seek legal counsel whenever 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 responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The causes of injuries include issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth defect law firms, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility 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 could also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medication. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the injury or disability, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and 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 against various 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 won significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the chances of having birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.