The Top 5 Reasons People Win Within The Birth Defect Litigation Industry

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawsuits defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from issues like Erb's syndrome which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could 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, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the cause of the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the chances of having birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a range of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.