Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys

The family of twins injured during their Mother’s prenatal care came to Jim Beasley, Jr. and The Beasley Firm to bring a claim against the physicians and hospital that caused catastrophic injuries to the twins. Proving the case was difficult, but The Beasley Firm’s detailed investigation and strong cross examination of the defendants’ experts resulted in one of the largest medical malpractice recoveries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This recovery, having been brought in one of the more conservative counties in Pennsylvania, is of particular pride to The Beasley Firm, and proves that no matter where negligence occurs, we are there to help our clients.

Jim Beasley Jr. was asked to represent a man who was blinded after a heart transplant. Through relentless discovery, Jim was able to learn that the surgeon who was supposed to be monitoring this patient went to observe another operation, leaving the patient (and our client) to become blinded due to the delay in returning him to the operating room to correct the abnormal blood pressures due to complications of the heart transplant.

$7 million settlement for blindness after heart surgery. Our client underwent heart surgery and woke up blind after the surgery. The anesthesiologist let the blood pressure get too low and stay very low for too long. The drop in the blood pressure caused a lack of blood flow and oxygen to our client’s optic nerves and it caused permanent damage and blindness.

$5 million settlement for a brain-damaged baby after pediatric heart surgery. Our client suffered severe brain damage and a wrongful death after open-heart surgery. In order to perform the surgery, the child’s blood flow had to be stopped, and the doctors have to cool the entire body to a very low temperature to protect the brain from damage prior to stopping the heart. Unfortunately, the doctors cooled the child too fast, permitting the brain to still be warm, and in need of oxygen, before the heart was stopped. The result was severe brain damage and after approximately five years of terrible pain and suffering, this child passed away.

$4.5 million settlement: Failure to diagnose a congenital heart defect and it caused brain damage. This little boy was born approximately two months premature and had an unusual breathing problem. When the doctors put a breathing tube into his lungs, he would breathe fine. When they took the tube out, he couldn’t breathe. After a few days of this, one of the resident physicians suggested that the doctors get a CT scan to see if something was pushing on the baby’s airway, which would be opened only when the breathing tube was pushed beyond the area where the airway was being compressed. The attending doctors refused, not interested in listening to a resident. After two years of suffering, damage to his airway, a tracheostomy and permanent brain damage, someone ordered the same test that the resident doctor suggested years before. The resident was right, and the arrogant attending doctors were wrong. We sued these doctors and the hospital and after an extensive investigation and almost three weeks of trial, we settled this case for $4.5 million for this child.

$3.3 million verdict for an adult circumcision where too much skin was removed. We represented a Philadelphia Judge who underwent circumcision and was left with damage to his penis. The medical and legal teams at the Beasley Firm found that the physician removed too much skin, causing a decrease in the penis size and very painful erections because the skin could not stretch when aroused. This had an enormous impact on the intimate life that he and his wife, who had been together for decades, were able to enjoy. Barbara Axelrod successfully handled the appeal in this case which vacated the remittitur (a judge’s ruling to vacate a jury verdict) ordered by the Court of Common Pleas and reinstated the entire award.

$3.1 million settlement for failure to monitor post-operative patient. Dion Rassias represented husband and wife plaintiffs who filed a medical malpractice action as the result of a hospital’s failure to recognize a growing hematoma after neck surgery. The case raised issues about failing to properly monitor post-operative patients and then, failing to take action quickly enough to prevent permanent injuries. The case settled in the summer of 2014 for $3.1 million.

$3.1 million settlement: failure to diagnose meningitis in an infant resulting in severe brain damage and death. We represented a healthy little African American child whose grandmother took her to the local clinic because of a fever and a rash. The grandmother was told that the baby was “teething” and was given pain medicine and medicine to numb her gums. No one tested the baby for an infection, which they should have especially due to the rash, which was a classic sign of a bacterial infection. That night when she went to bed, her fever spiked to 105 degrees and she became very sick. Mom rushed her to the hospital, where a spinal tap was done showing a severe infection in her spinal cord or meningitis. The child suffered a seizure and developed permanent and severe brain damage, which finally took her life. We were able to settle the case for $3.1 million for her family as a result of her pain, suffering, and death.

$3 million recovery for a failure to treat preeclampsia that caused brain damage in a newborn. Jayne Piarulli represented a mother that developed preeclampsia that was undiagnosed and treated. The mother developed eclampsia that led to a placental abruption and the baby suffered from a lack of oxygen, blood, and nutrients. Because of the lack of oxygen, the baby has Cerebral Palsy (CP) and profound mental retardation.

$3 million dollar settlement for a child who suffered permanent brain damage after a failure to diagnose and treat meningitis This is just one of the brain-injured children we have helped. This child was brought to the emergency room with signs and symptoms of an infection. Signs such as a rash, fever, irritability, and poor feeding. The doctor told the mother that the child’s rash was due to a soap allergy or irritation and discharged them from the hospital. That night the infection got worse and the child became stiff. The mother took the child back to the emergency room to be evaluated. A spinal tap was performed and it showed that the child had meningitis, but by that time, it was too late and the child suffered a seizure that further worsened the brain damage caused by meningitis.

$3 million settlement: Failure to properly perform an epidural injection and it caused partial paralysis. Our client had low back pain and went to the pain management doctor for a lumbar epidural injection. However, when the doctor did the injection he injected the medication directly into the area around the spinal cord, which caused lower extremity weakness. Walking became difficult, but fortunately, he was not completely paralyzed. The defendants settled for $3 million to avoid a trial.

$1.95 million settlement for malpractice that caused the loss of both legs and an arm. This was a very difficult case involving a blood condition known as Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). This condition results when the body reacts to the blood thinner heparin in the opposite way and actually causes blood clots to form instead of preventing blood clots from forming. The medical and legal teams here at the Beasley firm were able to recognize that the patient suffered from HIT.

$1.7 million settlement: Failure to treat meningitis leading to brain damage. Twin boys were born to a healthy mom a few weeks premature. The twins were admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment, but while in the hospital one of the twins started to show signs of an infection. Even though the one twin had a fever and abnormal blood tests, nothing was done until it was too late and he had a seizure, causing permanent brain damage. The doctors failed to manage the infection despite seeing the signs that the baby was infected. We secured almost $2 million for him and will provide for his needs as he grows.

$1.7 million settlement for failure to diagnose endocarditis. Dion Rassias sued a physician and the doctor’s practice group in the state of Delaware for failing to diagnose and properly treat endocarditis in a mid-40’s year old woman that, tragically, caused a stroke and significant brain damage.

$1.6 million settlement: Failure to treat developing infection in woman with no spleen. We represented a wife and mother of two small children who went to the local ER in one of the outlying Philadelphia counties complaining of a fever and feeling sick. Earlier in her life, she had her spleen removed, and the spleen is very important in fighting infections. In spite of knowing she didn’t have a spleen and likely had a bacterial infection, the ER doctor discharged her with Tylenol. That night she got really sick because of the overwhelming infection and died in her husband’s arms in front of their two children. In order to avoid a trial, the defendants paid $1.6 million to settle the case.

$1.5 million settlement due to a morphine overdose. Dion Rassias of the Beasley Firm sued a local hospital as a result of a morphine overdose for a patient who was seeking pain relief for a kidney stone. The hospital attorneys blamed all of the patient’s problems on an adverse reaction to the morphine that caused his death. The hospital lawyers fought that the morphine doses were all within the normal range. The hospital did not offer any money during discovery and did not begin discussing settlement until the cross-examination of the defendant doctor when, after obtaining vital information, the hospital paid in excess of $1.5 million to settle the case.

$1.5 million settlement during trial: failure to diagnose and treat breast cancer. While our client was pregnant, she felt a lump in her breast. The doctor did not order any tests and assumed it was a “milk duct” without any confirmation. By the time the cancer was diagnosed, it was too late and had spread throughout her entire body and took her life.

$1.5 million settlement during trial: Doctor’s failure to diagnose blood clot in a leg. We represented a man who developed a blood clot in his leg that went untreated. The blood clot blocked the blood flow to his foot, and the man had to have his foot amputated. We took this case to trial and after three days of testimony in the courtroom, the defendants settled to avoid an embarrassing verdict.

$1.5 million settlement during trial: failure to diagnose a bowel obstruction. Our client went to the emergency room for pains in her stomach, and she was admitted to the hospital. In spite of knowing she likely had a bowel obstruction, the doctors waited days before they finally took her to surgery. When they operated on her the surgeons found an extensive bowel blockage which they removed. Unfortunately, due to the delay in taking her to the operating room, many toxins built up in her intestine and when the blockage was relieved, all of the poisons spread throughout her body and almost killed her. She suffered permanent lung damage as a result of this. Halfway through the trial, the defendants settled this case to avoid a significant verdict against them.