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, it can cause a lot of grief for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be liable for an injury to the fetus if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome which is caused when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may help parents determine the cause for birth defect lawsuits a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially 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 proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, Birth defect lawsuits then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defects as well.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.