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Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you seek compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor’s actions fall below this standard and cause birth defect or injury the doctor could be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine whether your child’s condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to recognize or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

red wing birth defect lawyer injuries differ from beckley birth defect law firm defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb’s palsy where the nerves that control the baby’s arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these conditions can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the mother’s pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor’s fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families that had children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman’s chance of having miamisburg birth defect attorney defects too.

The experienced attorneys at LK’s firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.