10 Things We All Do Not Like About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defects or injuries or injury, they could be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the cause for the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine what caused the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals are present in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that 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 consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or Birth Defect Lawyers in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.