"The Birth Defect Litigation Awards: The Top Worst Or Strangest Things We ve Ever Seen

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries, they can be held liable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition may have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able help parents determine the cause for the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, Birth Defects heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For instance, 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 a pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.