It s The Birth Defect Litigation Case Study You ll Never Forget

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This can cause many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

birth defect law firms (advice here) injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - a swelling on the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur due to medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, 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 the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can influence the healthy development of a embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for Birth defect law firms families who have children who were born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found 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) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects as well.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from many birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.