What Is The Evolution Of Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect this can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defect attorney defects could help you file for compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to recognize or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (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 result from conditions like Erb's Palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, birth defect lawsuit NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defect lawsuit defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they interfere with the normal development of a fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth 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 can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from many birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.