Get Rid Of Birth Defect Litigation: 10 Reasons Why You Don't Really Need It

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect, it can be devastating 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 help you file an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses associated with the injury or disability, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of 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 identify the cause of 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 chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. 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 in order to hold companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

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

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

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits typically require an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.