14 Savvy Ways To Spend Leftover Birth Defect Litigation Budget
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses 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. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should seek legal advice immediately.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.
A doctor may also be responsible for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious issues, birth defect attorney such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.
birth defect law firms injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, birth defect attorney a swelling on the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation in order to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root of a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.
It is the duty of a doctor to consider the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.
A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and treatments.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover what caused the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are working or in their home.
Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be used in a variety of environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.
Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.
If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.
Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defect law firms 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 a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.
