20 Myths About Birth Defect Litigation: Busted

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could assist you file for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury to the fetus if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, birth Defect Lawsuit which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for birth defect lawsuit women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers that come with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in first trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can sue families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are present in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defect law firm defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult a DC birth defect Lawsuit injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of birth defects too.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from many birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.