Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide To Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and Birth Defect legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's a swelling on the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents in determining the cause for a child's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses associated with the injury or disability, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with 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 businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the root of the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are found in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and Birth Defect water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects as well.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.