12 Companies Leading The Way In Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an action to collect compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in an injury or birth defect and/or death, they may be held accountable for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may be liable for an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can result in a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, firm labor, or delivery. The causes of injuries include issues like Erb's syndrome which develops when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the root of a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to a higher chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or at their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. They are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in 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 defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe 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 conditions. 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 chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

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

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.