Beware Of This Common Mistake With Your Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been linked to an increase in chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defect lawsuit defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes their child's birth defect may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or birth Defect lawsuit absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment they could develop serious Birth Defect Lawsuit defects. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.