How To Get More Results From Your Birth Defect Litigation

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 losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or birth. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs 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 an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and birth Defect Law firms determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to an increase in chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs to be malformed. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth Defect Law firms problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals could be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of 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.