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Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on your family and you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and cause an injury or birth defect and/or death, they may be held liable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's illness could be the result of an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to recognize or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and birth defect Lawyer your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant 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 of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or birth defect lawyer cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as 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 known to increase the risk of birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.