Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide For Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and fail to respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy, which occurs when the nerves that power and control the infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur due to medications. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, birth defect has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the cause of birth defects so they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, birth defect they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

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

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of birth defects as well.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.