15 Up-And-Coming Birth Defect Litigation Bloggers You Need To See

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. 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 an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and cause a birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held responsible for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can help determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defect lawsuits defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of locations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that their child's birth defect may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.