Forget Birth Defect Litigation: 10 Reasons Why You No Longer Need It

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist you file for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) 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. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, Firms certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the risks that come with their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten 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

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

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defects as well as other health issues. 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, utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.