Birth Injury Lawyers in Philadelphia

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Throughout a mother's pregnancy, labor, delivery, and her child's infancy, it is necessary for her doctor to provide constant care and observation. Conditions such as fetal distress or hypoxia can lead to severe damage, including brain damage, nerve damage, cerebral palsy, or even death.

If you suspect your child was injured by medical malpractice during the pregnancy, birth, or after your child was born, our Philadelphia birth injury lawyers at The Beasley Firm can help. We have nearly six decades of experience helping families just like yours recover compensation.

A Strong Medical & Legal Team to Win Your Battle

The Beasley Firm has successfully litigated pregnancy and birth injury cases in Pennsylvania since 1958. We have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for children who need lifelong care. Our Philadelphia team includes experienced attorneys as well as two doctors and three registered nurses-two of whom specialized in maternal and neonatal care. Together, we were able to win two of the top medical negligence verdicts in the history of Pennsylvania, with recoveries of $100 million and $55 million. We also obtained the largest punitive damage award against a physician in Pennsylvania at $15 million, along with hundreds of other multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements.

A few examples of our birth injury case results include:

• In Fallon v. Snyder, a jury awarded $37 million after a medical neglect case that lasted six weeks. Our attorneys were able to prove that the presiding doctor inserted a breathing tube into the infant's esophagus instead of the lungs, causing the baby to suffer oxygen deprivation, hypoxia, and major brain damage.
• In a confidential case, we obtained a $5 million settlement for a baby injured during heart surgery when the doctors cooled the child too fast, permitting the brain to still be warm and in need of oxygen before the heart was stopped.
• In a confidential case, we obtained a $4.5 million settlement for a baby who had a congenital heart defect that went undiagnosed for two years. Soon after the baby was born, a resident doctor requested a CT scan of the child's airway, but the attending doctor refused, stubbornly believing his own incorrect diagnosis.

Pregnancy, Labor & Birth Malpractice Lawsuits

Over the last 55+ years, we have successfully represented both mothers and babies in physician and hospital negligence incidents that involved:

• Cerebral palsy
• Hypoxic brain damage
• Placental abruption
• Meconium aspiration
• Premature labor
• Post-partum hemorrhage
• Birth trauma
• Spina bifida
• HELLP syndrome
• NICU terms
• Shoulder dystocia & Erb's palsy
• FAQs

Many parents are aware of the severe dangers that toxins like mercury and lead can pose to a developing baby, but recent research shows that a number of prescription medications, too, can cause severe harm to fetal development.

For example, medical studies have shown that the antidepressants referred to as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Zoloft and Prozac, dramatically increase the risk of serious complications for babies. Lexapro, too, has been linked to spina bifida and birth defects of the mouth such as cleft palate, and the anti-seizure drug Topamax has also been linked to birth defects.

Injuries from Preeclampsia Complications

Any woman who is pregnant or expecting will experience some weight gain, swelling of the feet, and changes in her blood pressure. However, some pregnant women develop more swelling or edema, and higher blood pressures than others. When that occurs, the doctor, nurse, or midwife should be monitoring or watching more closely for something called preeclampsia, or pregnancy induced hypertension.

If you developed clear signs of preeclampsia and your doctor did nothing to treat your condition, then you may be able to hold them accountable for the resulting damage to you or your baby. Our Philadelphia attorneys at The Beasley Firm specialize in developing medical malpractice claims for cases that affected women or children during pregnancy and delivery.

The Causes & Consequences of Preeclampsia

No one knows why some pregnant women develop preeclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy, but we do know that it must be closely monitored and treated right away. If a mother's blood pressure is too high, it vasoconstricts blood vessels, or cuts off the blood flow to the baby.

The blood supply to your baby is the only way your baby gets the much-needed food and nutrients it requires to grow and survive. Your doctor, obstetrician, midwife, or nurse practitioner needs to carefully watch and treat abnormal weight gain, fluid swelling, protein in your urine, or high blood pressure while you are pregnant. If they do not, they may not realize that you have preeclampsia.

If you develop preeclampsia, your doctor or midwife should put you on bed rest, make you lie on your left side, and drink more fluids. In addition, you should also have frequent ultrasounds, biophysical profiles, and non-stress tests to make sure your baby is still growing strong and not in any danger.

If your doctor, midwife, or nurse practitioner does not realize that you are showing signs of preeclampsia and doesn't treat it, you can go on to develop eclampsia and suffer seizures, liver problems, eye problems, bleeding, placental abruption, liver damage, stroke, or even death. In addition, it may also cause catastrophic injuries to your baby, including cerebral palsy.

When Winning Is the Only Option

In the last 55+ years, The Beasley Firm has litigated pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases with documented results. Our collective knowledge assisted in obtaining two of the largest medical negligence verdicts in Pennsylvania history-$100 million for an injured baby and a $55 million verdict-as well as hundreds of other multimillion-dollar judgments and settlements.

If you or your child has suffered due to preeclampsia, eclampsia, or another birth injury that was not treated by your doctor, nurse, midwife, or nurse practitioner, we can help you. Here at the Beasley Firm, not only do we have a team of nurses and physicians on staff that have actually witnessed and treated pregnant or expecting women with preeclampsia or pregnancy induced hypertension-we have decades of expertise that made us a leader in this field.

Call The Beasley Firm for a Free Consultation at (215) 866-2424

Given our experience, ability, and record of success in this area, other attorneys nationwide often refer their cerebral palsy and brain damage cases to us, including lawyers who advertise nationally for birth injury cases.

Client Testimonial

Our Philadelphia birth injury team at The Beasley Firm work on lawsuits every day, helping families just like yours investigate and understand the cause of their children's disabilities, and obtain fair compensation for their child's preventable injuries.

If you or your baby has been injured during pregnancy, labor, or birth, please contact us at (215) 866-2424 for a free consultation with our birth injury attorney team.