15 Reasons To Love Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the expenses of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defect lawyers birth defects can be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to help parents determine the cause for an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses that result from the disability or injury in addition to loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are used in a variety of environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, Birth Defect Lawyers such as dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defect attorney defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a range of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.