 Lawyer's Story
My name is Ray
Alexander, I’m a lawyer at Brown and Crouppen. I’m
the lawyer primarily responsible for handling
Cerebral Palsy and other birth trauma litigation.
For the first seven years of my career I defended
doctors who were being sued for medical malpractice,
after a lot of soul searching I switched to the
plaintiff’s side, it just seemed like the right
place for me. My recent election into the “million
dollar advocate’s forum” makes me know that my
decision, now almost 15 years ago, was the right
one.
First, I’d like to
talk a little bit about Cerebral Palsy (CP). It’s
such a hard area of the law on so many levels. The
cases I work on involve children who, but for, a
careless doctor or hospital would have been healthy.
It’s hard to comprehend the difficulty families
have dealing with that fact, along with all the
suffering and all the missed opportunities. Over the
years I believe the bravest and strongest people I
have met are the victims and families whose lives
have been touched by CP.
Let’s start at the
beginning. CP is the umbrella term for a number of
disorders that can affect brain function, general
movement and gross and fine motor control. The
common element of all of these disorders is that the
brain has been injured. This injury can occur
before, during or after a child’s birth.
Unfortunately, CP is not uncommon. In the United
States alone it’s estimated that 500,000 people
have been diagnosed with CP and that number
increases by more than 5,000 every year.
Medical science has
determined that the incidence of CP is related to a
number of causes. Physical trauma during birth is a
leading cause of CP, this is related to the improper
use of forceps or a vacuum extractor during the
birth process. Another leading cause is a lack of
oxygen during delivery. Other possible factors are
mother and child RH incompatibilities and the
infectious disease Rubella. CP is usually diagnosed
during the first three years of life when a child
fails to reach developmental milestones such as
rolling over, sitting, walking etc. In a timely
fashion.
At Brown and Crouppen
we believe that a lawyer can provide valuable
services to children with CP and their families.
Sometimes lost in all the other problems these
children have, is the simple fact that CP is very
expensive. Medical procedures, special education,
orthopedic braces and other appliances cost a
staggering amount of money. Many families either don’t
have enough insurance or don’t have any at all and
so their children do without many valuable items
that could make their lives so much better. One of
the great thrills I have in being a CP attorney is
knowing that I helped a family secure a “future”
for their child. I know that a successful CP case
against a careless doctor, hospital or HMO can mean
that the parents will not have to worry what will
happen to their child when they’re gone. They can
be assured that their child will have the chance for
a life filled with as much hope as it is with
hardship.
I also work on
various other injuries that are caused by birth
trauma:
- Brachial Slexus
injuries- one of the most common birth injuries.
Its caused when a baby during delivery is pulled
in a manner that stretches or tears some or all
of the nerves in the brachial plexus nerve
bundle that control the shoulder, arm, hand, or
wrist. The symptoms commonly associated with
this injury include arm paralysis, lack of
muscle control in the arm, hand or wrist, and
lack of sensation in the affected area. Injuries
of the upper shoulder and arm are called Erb’s
Palsy; those of the lower arm and hand are
called Klumpke’s Palsy.
- Group B
Streptococcus- a common bacterial infection
transmitted from mother to baby. This infection
while generally harmless in adults can be
devastating to newborns. With proper medical
care this should not happen.
- In much smaller
numbers we see various head traumas, facial
nerve trauma, spinal cord injuries, and
fractures.
It’s
been said that lawyers who work on medical
malpractice cases have to be part doctor and part
lawyer, I’m not sure that’s totally accurate but
sometimes I do spend more time reading medical books
than law books. At Brown and Crouppen we understand
the medicine and the law as well as the human side
of Cerebral Palsy and other birth traumas, if you
have any questions about anything just click
here.
Brown & Crouppen can help you make informed
decisions about your legal rights, so please call
Brown & Crouppen at
1-800-536-HELP for your free legal
consultation or save time with our online
Contact Form.
 The doctors and
nurses who took care of me while I was in labor with
my son, caused my son and our entire family a
lifetime of problems. You see, they failed to pay
attention to the warnings the fetal monitor strip
was giving them and, as a result, my son was very
ill when he was born. He has Cerebral Palsy and will
have it for the rest of his life.
 CONTINUE |
 Unfortunately, this
is true. There are definite time limits in taking
care of your case. These time limits are called
statutes of limitations and if you wait past the
time set out in the statute your case is over,
forever, regardless if you have gotten any money or
not. Don’t let this happen to you, if you have a
Cerebral Palsy malpractice case don’t wait until
it’s too late, call Brown and Crouppen now.
CONTINUE |
Call Brown & Crouppen at
1-800-536-HELP
for your free legal consultation or save time with
our online
Contact Form.
1-800-536-HELP
|
