7 Simple Tips To Totally Rocking 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 the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, and you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs including certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations exposing pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be used in a variety of settings, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defect law firms defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause numerous birth defects and health problems. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.