20 Trailblazers Setting The Standard In Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can be devastating for you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail to identify or adequately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect law firms defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused due to medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, in addition to aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and Birth defect attorneys drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defect to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in many different locations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are the aliphatic hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them during 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 the 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 are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names 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 in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists and birth defect attorneys epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.