20 Truths About Birth Defect Litigation: Busted

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect, it can cause a lot of grief for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can help determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth defect lawyers as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root of a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers associated with 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 problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. 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 either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture 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 suffer from a wide range of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.