This Is 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 could have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could assist to file a claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held responsible for 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 health issue was caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medication. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the risks associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the disability or injury as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defect law firm defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled 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 are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects caused by improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically require an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, including toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.