Janessa Dunbabin спросил 5 месяцев назад
Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer
If your child was born with a birth deformity this can be devastating for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.
A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
Medical Malpractice
Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child’s condition may have been caused by an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.
A doctor could also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.
The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person’s genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injuries can include conditions like Erb’s Palsy that occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.
Prescription Drugs
A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the reason for a child’s birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.
A doctor’s duty is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.
An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor’s or pharmaceutical expenses, as well assistive devices and treatments.
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 companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.
Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.
Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.
Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects as a result 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 is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.
Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.
For instance, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that has been contaminated can trigger numerous birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defect law firm defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.
The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.