Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth deformity it could be devastating for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can add up quickly.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child’s condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or during delivery.
A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person’s genetic makeup and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. The causes of injuries include issues like Erb’s syndrome which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control an infant’s arms are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in tulia birth defect attorney defects will offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the reason for a child’s birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the mother’s pregnancy however, they can also be caused because of medications. Many commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.
It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.
A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for current and future medical expenses related to the disability or injury, and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses medical expenses, doctor’s fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.
Chemical Exposure
A Ketchikan Birth Defect Law Firm defect lawyer can sue families of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the reason for the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their home.
Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few 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 cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.
Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures at the base.
Environmental Exposure
Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that their child’s birth defect may result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC kingsville birth defect attorney injury lawyer to discuss the situation.
Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.
Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.
LK’s highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.