14 Savvy Ways To Spend Left-Over Birth Defect Litigation Budget

Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

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 are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a free consultation to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the risks that come with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defect law firm defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements for 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 a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, 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 resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.