A Intermediate Guide The Steps To Birth Defect Litigation

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 you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you seek compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, and you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

birth defect law firms injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the reason behind a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur due to medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different environments, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. 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 in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defect lawsuit defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.