Ten Pinterest Accounts To Follow About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you file for compensation to cover the costs of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or adequately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defect law firms defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - swelling of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine 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 root cause of a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and birth defects more. These drugs have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women 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 suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be used in a variety of locations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits 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 obtained substantial 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 are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects, as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.