Houston Birthing Injuries Lawyer

Brachial Plexus Injury also known as Brachial Plexus Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, Duchenne’s Palsy, and Klumpke’s Palsy is a result of a birth complication called Shoulder Dystocia.

Shoulder Dystocia describes a situation where the fetal head has been delivered, but the shoulders are stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone and cannot be freed. This often results in injury by either blocking the baby’s ability to breathe resulting in neurological damage, causing skeletal injury that may fracture the baby’s clavicle or humerus, or causing brachial plexus injuries. These injuries damage the bundle (plexus) of nerves that control the shoulder, arm, wrist and hand muscles.

The brachial plexus nerves emerge from the spinal cord and travel across the shoulder, along the arms, into the hand, to the tips of the fingers. There are four types of Brachial Plexus Injuries. They are:

Stretch / Neuropraxia / Praxis Injury – This describes a condition where the brachial plexus nerves have been damaged but not torn. It involves a degree of swelling, bruising, compression, or over-stretching. The seriousness of this type of damage can vary widely. Depending on severity, the injury may recover naturally over time.
Neuroma – This condition results from scar tissue around the injury that prevents the nerve from communicating properly with the muscle, thus impairing movement. Surgery is usually required to remove the scar tissue.
Rupture – Indicates a more serious condition where the nerves are torn in one or more places, but are not detached from the spinal column. Damage is usually permanent and does not spontaneously heal. Surgery is required for repair.
Avulsion – This is the most serious of brachial plexus injuries, where the nerve is actually torn from the spine. The arm is usually completely flaccid and paralyzed. Often more than just the arm is affected. Avulsion injuries have permanently damaging consequences that last a lifetime.

Because the symptoms of each type of injury can appear to be similar, it can be difficult to determine the exact nature of the injury from the outset. Also, more than one of these conditions can exist simultaneously.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a condition resulting from brain damage that occurs before, during, or shortly after the birth of a child. Cerebral palsy primarily affects a person’s muscle tone and muscle control, but many associated conditions, such as mental impairment and vision loss, may be experienced as well. There are four types of cerebral palsy:

Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
Mixed Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy may occur as a result of medical negligence on the part of the doctor, nursing staff, or other health care professionals. If medical malpractice has injured you or your child, consider seeking the financial compensation you deserve.

If you think you may have a Brachial Plexus, Erb’s Palsy or Shoulder Dystocia or Cerebral Palsy claim, please contact the Attorneys at the Crim Law Firm for a no-obligation assessment of your claim.

Defective Drugs and Birth Defects

Our legal team is committed and dedicated to aggressively representing clients that have had children born with birth defects as a result of using certain prescription drugs. Even with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulating and monitoring the use of prescription medication, pharmaceutical companies continually urge the use for unauthorized, “off label” indications. Most times, the companies take a indifferent attitude towards the marketing of their medications as long as the “bottom line” looks good.

In addition, inadequate testing and misinformation by the companies may lead to FDA approval, only to later find out the drug was more dangerous than anticipated. The drug manufacturers are solely concerned about corporate profits, and direct marketing to consumers has spawned blockbuster drug sales.

Our law firm is here to represent those that have been taken advantage of by pharmaceutical companies and have them take responsibility for the pain and hardships they may have caused. This website will serve as a resource for drugs that cause birth defects when taken by pregnant women. It will give information about the drug, its effects and links to online resources. SSRIs, medications to treat depression and anxiety disorders, and antiseizure medications have all been associated with a much higher incidence of birth defects, resulting from use by pregnant women.

If you were prescribed anti-depressants while pregnant, you may be entitled to compensation.

But, time is running out. The companies that manufacturer these drugs settle birth defect cases with monetary compensation. Medical care for children victimized by these SSRIs is very high. Don’t be left behind. If your child has birth defects because you took one of the drugs listed on this website, you and your child may qualify for compensation.

For example: The drug company, GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturers Paxil. A long-term epidemiological study suggested an increase in the risk of overall major congenital malformations for Paxil (paroxetine) and Paxil CR compared to other antidepressants. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration requires this drug to carry a black box warning, its “most serious type of warning in prescription drug labeling. They have already set aside over $1.14 billion dollars to settle lawsuits stemming from use of this drug.

If you feel you or a loved one has been affected by use of any of these drugs, please contact The Crim Law Firm for a free, no-obligation consultation with a knowledgeable attorney who will give you options on your best course of action. You don’t have to suffer alone; we are here to help. Call us today toll-free at (800) 807-9360 and speak with caring professionals to see how we can help you and your child.