15 Up-And-Coming Birth Defect Litigation Bloggers You Need To Keep An Eye On

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist you seek compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defect lawsuits defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards 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 the doctor could be held liable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child's condition could be due to a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's a swelling on the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. 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

An attorney for birth defects (Gagetaylor.com) may be able to assist parents in determining the cause for the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus through producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth 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 chemical. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

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

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits typically require an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.