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

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the expenses of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be responsible for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy 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 which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - swelling of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's duty is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the root of the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

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

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects caused by improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.