Birth Defect Litigation Explained In Fewer Than 140 Characters

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects can help to file a claim for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

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

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your situation and birth defect attorneys determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs including certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to a higher risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, birth defect attorneys has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the disability or injury and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect attorneys defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the root of birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect law firms defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes the birth defect of their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause a variety of 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 are also known for their ability to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.