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Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it could cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be liable for an injury to the fetus if they fail to recognize or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or during delivery. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur due to medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from 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 identify what caused the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defect law firms defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.