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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is swelling of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers that come with their products. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defect law firm defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants 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 present in our air, food and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause various birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects too.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.