Why You Should Focus On Improving Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect this can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions like Erb's Palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the reason behind the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to a higher risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for current and future medical expenses associated with the injury or disability, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine what caused the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from many birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.