The Ultimate Glossary Of Terms For 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. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits will help you determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be liable for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur because of medications. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, birth defect attorneys then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly inform mothers of the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of birth defects, so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult a DC birth defect attorneys injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and birth defect attorneys other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, may cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.