This Is The Birth Defect Litigation Case Study You ll Never Forget

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in birth defect lawsuits defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of an injury to the fetus if they fail to identify or properly respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, 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 events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defect attorney defects will provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to 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, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the injury or disability, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may sue families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and other drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or at their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these 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 exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits typically involve sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.