14 Clever Ways To Spend On Leftover Birth Defect Litigation Budget
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly increase.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.
A doctor could also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or adequately respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, 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 make-up, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate way to proceed for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been linked to an increase in chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.
It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their products. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.
A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, Birth Defect Attorneys and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies who 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 suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.
Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.
Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defect law firm defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.
Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects.
LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects resulting from unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.