20 Trailblazers Lead The Way In 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 impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition could be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent 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 look over your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses 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 file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defect attorney defects. They are trained to determine the cause of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens while they are working or in their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus through causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to malformed organs. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and birth defect attorneys paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of 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 gotten significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.