12 Companies Leading The Way In Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and cause a birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition could have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves that power and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth defect lawsuits process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the cause for a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur because of medications. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the reason for birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water Some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.