Watch Out: What Birth Defect Litigation Is Taking Over And What Can We Do About It

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defect law firms defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's illness could be due to an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference 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 labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that stimulate and control an infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

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

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf 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 often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.