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Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated 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. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defect or injury the doctor could be held accountable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or birth. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, in addition to loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for birth defects so they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus through making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or cause organs to be malformed. These chemicals are used in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defect attorneys defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child could result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few 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 and health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.