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Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's condition could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and 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 include ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet the standards of care required, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses related to 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 expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out what caused the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they are working or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus through producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in exposing the 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 could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult an DC birth defect law firms injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defect law firms defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.