Guide To Birth Defect Litigation: The Intermediate Guide The Steps To Birth Defect Litigation
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly mount up.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.
A doctor could also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or delivery. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome which is caused when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur due to medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.
It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.
A birth defect attorney can assist a family in obtaining compensation for birth defect medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their homes.
Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.
Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families that had children born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.
If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment They could cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.
Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.
LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and Birth Defect embryologists.
