Birth Defect Litigation Explained In Fewer Than 140 Characters

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity, it can have a devastating effect on your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects may be able to help you claim compensation to cover the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defects or injuries, they can be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents in determining the root of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses related to the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital fees physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the root of the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are at work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals are present in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them 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 secured substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers; www.trottiloc.com, have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.