How To Get More Value With Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held responsible for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience 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 during delivery.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth defect attorney injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to help parents determine the reason behind the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of situations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals 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 a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water Some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from contaminated coal can cause numerous birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a wide range of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.