Vaccination Injury in Seattle, WA
Are you shocked and unsure what to do about a recent vaccination injury?
The claims process can leave you wondering if you made decisions that support your needs. Furthermore, you may feel lost after researching immunization training and deciding if the clinic in Seattle did not follow protocol. Start to unravel this complex process and find out what a local attorney can do to help through this guide today.
What Is a Vaccination Injury?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports vaccines contain a weakened or dead version of a disease. After injection, the body develops antibodies to specific illnesses. Effectively, this makes the recipient immune from the disease.
Most people who receive vaccines have a successful immunity boost for many illnesses. While vaccines may conain the disease, some recipients develop health problems. A qualified Seattle, Washington vaccination injury lawyer can help determine if you have a claim.
It can be onerous to determine how many individuals suffer harm from vaccines annually in Seattle. Furthermore, linking a vaccine injury to ongoing medical issues can be challenging. Nonetheless, the federal government offers a Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to citizens.
What Are Some Common Types of Vaccination Injuries?
It is perfectly normal to experience some minor soreness around the vaccine injection site. However, vaccines should not cause significant harm. If you or a loved one has experienced pain, loss of body functions or even death, you should talk to an experienced Seattle vaccination injury lawyer.
Febrile Seizures
According to Seattle Children’s Hospital, most febrile seizures only last a few minutes. Moreover, they are unlikely to cause other health problems or require further treatment. Regardless of these facts, you will want to take steps like the following to prevent unintended injuries:
- Monitor the duration of the seizure
- Get nearby objects out of the way
- Move the child to their side to prevent them from choking
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
CIDP causes damage to the nerves and creates some potentially serious symptoms. A patient in Seattle can experience weakness or a loss of sensation in their extremities. Other complications you may suffer from include:
- Fatigue
- Breathing difficulties
- Changes in your voice, slurred speech, and hoarseness
Vaccination-Related Shoulder Injuries
Shoulder injuries may occur due to how Seattle, WA health professionals administer the vaccine. Alternatively, the contents of the vaccine can cause harm.
Symptoms may range from ongoing pain at the injection site to a complete loss of muscle movement in the arm. While often temporary, vaccination-related shoulder injuries may be permanent.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Research has linked Guillain-Barre syndrome to different types of vaccines, one of which is the annual flu shot. The condition happens when the immune system attacks itself, causing damage to nerve cells.
While the symptoms vary, they often include paralysis and muscular weakness. These issues typically resolve within a few weeks. But, Guillain-Barre syndrome may cause permanent nerve damage. This injury may result in loss of motion, paralysis, and other ongoing complications.
Anaphylaxis
Seattle healthcare professionals should check for known patient allergies. If a vaccine recipient happens to be allergic to the ingredients in the vaccine, the injection may cause a reaction. Symptoms may include hives, fevers, fainting, shortness of breath, and anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. Regrettably, an individual may not realize they have an allergy until after receiving the vaccination.
Encephalitis
Encephalitis sometimes happens when there is an infection in the body. It can also be part of the body’s response to an infection. This condition results in swelling of brain tissue.
Some common symptoms of encephalitis are pain, fever, headaches, fatigue, and weakness. While these problems may resolve in a few weeks, doctors must track this potentially life-threatening condition.
Myelitis
While encephalitis is swelling of the brain, myelitis involves spinal cord inflammation. Nonetheless, doctors and scientists do not completely understand the causes of myelitis.
Still, some patients have developed spinal cord inflammation after vaccine injection. Swelling around the spinal cord may cause a variety of complications. Symptoms may include paralysis, pain and loss of muscular control.
What Are Some of the Vaccines, Conditions, and Injuries Covered by Law?
Answering this question is well-illustrated by looking at complications from DTaP vaccines. The following conditions have a place in the current Vaccine Injury Table from the HRSA.
Anaphylaxis from DTaP Vaccines
Patients with allergies in Seattle will want to take precautions before receiving a DTaP vaccine. Sensitivity to eggs, latex, or other elements could lead to a life-threatening medical event.
Unfortunately, these dangers may not become apparent until it is too late. This reality is why the Vaccine Injury Table says allergic reactions within four hours have eligibility for petitions.
Vasovagal Syncope from DTaP Vaccines
Fainting after a DTaP immunization in Seattle can be a relatively benign experience. The most significant danger comes from what may happen afterward. You could strike your head on something sharp or land in a precarious position.
Accordingly, the Mayo Clinic recommends talking to a doctor if you have a history of passing out. If you faint up to an hour after a DTaP vaccine, the Vaccine Injury Table suggests you could receive compensation.
Encephalitis from DTaP Vaccines
The CDC recommends waiting on a DTaP vaccine if you had encephalopathy up to seven days earlier. The same principle applies if you have experienced prolonged seizures or were in a coma.
Inflammation in the brain can have uncomfortable and significant effects on a patient from Seattle. If the condition happens up to 72 hours after your immunization, the HRSA may have compensation options.
What Is the Legal Process for a Vaccination Injury?
Even if the symptoms you experienced after your vaccine are not in the above list, you may still have a vaccination injury.
If you have sustained an injury from a vaccination in Seattle, Washington, you should seek immediate medical attention. You should also seek a legal opinion as quickly as possible. A vaccine-related injury can result in extreme consequences that interfere with your life. Accordingly, you may be able to pursue financial compensation.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Hiring a qualified Seattle legal professional can help determine if you qualify for compensation.
A lawyer can also explain your other legal options. For example, you could file a lawsuit against the vaccine manufacturer. In other cases, you may sue the healthcare professional who administered the vaccine.
The claims process is very complex. If you do not properly assert your claim, you may receive a denial and jeopardize your odds of receiving compensation.
These decisions about vaccine injury lawsuits from Seattle will likely involve one or two federal judiciaries. Most will have to go through the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Otherwise, there are concerns that the U.S. District Court in Seattle can take up.
Work With an Experienced Local Lawyer In Seattle, Washington
The purpose of a vaccine is to improve your quality of life by keeping you healthy. Unfortunately, if you suffer an injury after a vaccination, your life may never be the same again.
While you may be able to receive financial compensation for your vaccine injury, the process is not easy. Therefore, hiring an experienced Seattle, WA vaccine injury attorney is essential. It will greatly impact the quality of assistance and settlement you may receive.
If you are looking to hire a vaccination injury lawyer, we are here for you. We can even help you connect with an attorney across Washington state lines.
Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!
