10 Basics To Know Birth Defect Litigation You Didn t Learn At School
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. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.
A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries or injury, they could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.
Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best option for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. Many common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.
The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.
A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.
Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be used in a variety of situations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.
Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.
Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are called teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.
For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defect lawsuit defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects as well.
Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.