Birth Defect Litigation Explained In Fewer Than 140 Characters

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 increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects may be able to help you file for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be the result of an error birth defect lawsuits in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail to identify or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can cause a number of serious problems, 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. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers that come with their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and birth defect lawsuits other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defect lawyers defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a wide range of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.