The Birth Defect Litigation Awards: The Top, Worst, Or Weirdest Things We've Seen

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help to file a claim for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or during delivery. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they are working or in their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be present in a variety situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during 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 the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes the birth defect of their child may be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defect attorney defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause various birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.