The Ultimate Glossary For Terms Related To Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defect Law firms defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect, they can be held accountable for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to distress of the fetus. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or birth. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or Birth defect law Firms other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately inform mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect in their child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and birth Defect Law Firms trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects too.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defect lawsuits defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.