The Three Greatest Moments In Birth Defect Litigation History

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 lawyer who 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 and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in an injury or birth defect, they can be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or fail to respond appropriately. This can result in many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents in determining the root of a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defect law Firms defects. They are trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals are found in many different environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawsuit defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are called Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects and health issues. Certain birth defects can also be linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.