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 can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the expenses of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy 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 make-up however, injuries are caused by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or birth. Injuries can result from ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

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 the result of the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen due to medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked to an increased risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify 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.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for birth defect lawyer exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect of their child may result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water Some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.