The Ultimate Glossary Of Terms About Birth Defect Litigation

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an action to collect reimbursement for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's duty is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the chances of having birth defects.

LK's highly experienced Birth Defect Lawyers - Https://Trademarketclassifieds.Com/User/Profile/729627, have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.