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. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can assist you in determining if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a profound effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and east cleveland Birth defect lawsuit quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A east cleveland Birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer could sue families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for the birth defect, so they can file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are working or in their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they influence the healthy development of a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes that their child's birth defect may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact a DC jasper birth defect law firm injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from contaminated coal can cause various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.