20 Trailblazers Lead The Way In Birth Defect Litigation
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly mount up.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be due to a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor could be liable for a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.
It is the responsibility of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.
An attorney who specializes in birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer may sue parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the root of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they are working or in their homes.
Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are found in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.
Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.
Environmental Exposure
Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that their child's birth defect may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.
If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defect law firms defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.
Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are well-known to increase the chance of having birth defects.
LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.