How To Get More Value Out Of Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could help you seek compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defects or injuries or injury, they could be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines, certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers of the risks associated with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus by producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in many different environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. 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 and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are known as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects (Read the Full Article) in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.