Month: December 2018

Shoulder Dystocia and Lack of Oxygen to the Brain

Posted on by YostLaw

Shoulder dystocia occurs when the baby’s head emerges during delivery, but one or both shoulders remains trapped behind the mother’s pubic bone, preventing completion of delivery of the baby. This may cause the baby to suffer from oxygen deprivation if the umbilical cord is compressed between the baby’s body and the mother’s pelvis, or if the baby’s neck is compressed at an angle that prevents blood flow.  An interruption of the baby’s oxygen supply (hypoxia or asphyxia) during delivery can result in a permanent brain injury commonly diagnosed as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

The chances of a baby having a hypoxic brain injury as a result of shoulder dystocia increase the longer the baby is stuck in the birth canal.  Therefore, shoulder dystocia is always an obstetric emergency which must be very promptly recognized and treated.  Treatment requires the attending medical staff to use one or more procedures, or obstetric maneuvers, to release the trapped shoulder and delivery the baby. Once the baby is delivered, careful monitoring is required to assess the baby’s initial neurologic condition, including a check of the baby’s color, muscle tone, cord blood gas level, and brain wave activity.  Abnormal findings in the first hours and days of life, such as irregular muscle tone, seizures, trouble sucking, and/or severe acidosis (cord blood gas level with a pH value which is less than 7 (pH < 7) would all be indicators of an HIE brain injury.

Although there are other risks associated with shoulder dystocia,  including brachial plexus injury (nerve damage to the shoulder, arm, or hand) or bone fracture (typically the collarbone or shoulder blade), a hypoxic brain injury is the most severe result of shoulder dystocia because it may cause permanent brain damage limiting a child’s growth and development for a lifetime.

If your child suffered a birth injury, contact The Yost Legal Group today at 1-800-YOST-LAW (800-403-7259). The attorneys at Yost Legal Group are experienced, caring professionals ready to investigate your claim with compassion and determination. Call us today to receive a free, confidential consultation about your possible case.

We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you will never pay an attorney’s fee up front, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case.

The Yost Legal Group – Experience. Compassion. Results.

Trunnionosis—Once Again, Proof That Metal and Hips Don’t Mix

Posted on by YostLaw

Thirty years ago, trunnionosis surfaced as a diagnosis to characterize corrosion and wear occurring in hip replacements at the head-neck interface that connects with the thigh bone (femur). Historically, orthopedic surgeons often found corrosion or wear associated with hip implant failures in the area of the hip bone (acetabulum), but not the femur. More recently, however, doctors are frequently finding hip failures resulting from trunnionosis occurring at the femoral head-neck junction of the device. Statistics confirm the rise of trunnionosis as a diagnosis in cases of hip implant failures.

Studies suggest that the recent increased findings of trunnionosis in hip implant failures result from the metal materials used in newer hip replacement devices. Next generation metal hip products like the Zimmer M/L Taper femoral stem and the Stryker LFIT V40 femoral head are contributing to the rise in trunnionosis found in patients. This usually leads to a painful hip revision surgery. These artificial hip systems consist of a stem attached to a round head that mimics the body’s natural cup system, which allows leg movement.

Similar to earlier developed metal-on metal-hip implant systems, toxic metals released from the corrosion and wear caused by products like the Zimmer M/L Taper and Stryker LFIT V40 lead to adverse metal reactions, such as metallosis and pseudotumors.  Metallosis causes a variety of medical complications, including bone and tissue damage. Pseudotumors result from the body’s attempts to repair the area around the device, creating a buildup of fluid in the pelvic cavity. Both constitute classic diagnostic signs of a hip implant failure caused by metal-on-metal wear or corrosion.  In almost all cases, this necessitates a painful and expensive hip revision surgery, followed by a long period of recovery.

Sadly, the familiar story of defective metal-on-metal hip replacement devices now surfaces again with newer products like the Zimmer M/L Taper and the Stryker LFIT V40. These manufacturers have refused to learn from their past mistakes with older metal-on-metal hip replacement systems and must be held accountable.  If you or a loved one has suffered from the harmful side effects of metal hip implant products, the defective hip attorneys at the Yost Legal Group can investigate your case and help you obtain the justice you deserve. For a free consultation, please call us at 1-800-YOSTLAW.

Maryland Drivers Ignore School Buses’ Red Flashing Warning Lights, Needlessly Endangering School Children

Posted on by YostLaw

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) boasts that students are 70 times more likely to get to school safely than traveling by car. Buses are also equipped with many safety features bright yellow paint, flashing red lights, and stop sign arms to direct and navigate traffic.  But Maryland drivers are often ignoring the bright red flashing lights and driving by school buses as they pick up or drop off students.

The law in Maryland is clear, drivers must come to a complete stop when the flashing red lights on a school bus are activated and wait until the lights have been turned off before proceeding forward.  This always applies to all traffic traveling in the same direction as the stopped school bus. It also applies to vehicles traveling in the opposite direction except where there is a divided median.  Only where there is a is a concrete median or grass median dividing the lanes, can traffic traveling in the opposite direction of the bus proceed.  Violators of this Maryland Motor Vehicle Code can be given a fine of up to $570.00 and have three points assessed on their driving record.  The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is encouraging police to better enforce this law designed to protect children while getting on and off school buses.

The MDSE has conducted surveys in all 24 counties to determine the extent this law is being violated.  In the latest survey for the 2017-2018 school year, there were 3,812 school bus driver reports of vehicles not stopping when students were being loaded or unloaded from school buses.  However, the real numbers measured by bus cameras are much higher.  Counties are beginning to expand school bus camera enforcement programs where school buses have cameras that take pictures of vehicles as they pass school buses with their flashing red lights on. Under the program, the owner of the vehicle which passes a stopped bus with flashing red warning lights is given a $250 ticket.

Montgomery County school bus camera enforcement program cited 4,800 car owners for violations in the 2016 school year when only 12 buses had cameras installed. In the 2018 school year, 500 of its 1,200 buses had cameras installed to record dangerous motorists who did not stop for school buses.  Montgomery County counted 19,566 citations issued to the car owners where their vehicle dangerously and illegally passed a school bus with red flashing lights.  Expanding the school bus camera enforcement program is critical to making reckless drivers aware of their obligation to stop at red flashing lights. Student safety depends on drivers following the law to permit them to travel to school safely.

If you or a loved one has been harmed as a result of a serious school bus accident, call the school bus accident lawyers at The Yost Legal Group at 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529).  The Yost Legal Group has extensive experience in handling school bus accident claims in Baltimore and throughout the state of Maryland. We will review every detail of your situation at no cost to you and help provide answers you seek. And, there is no fee or expense unless you recover.

The Yost Legal Group – Experience. Compassion. Results.

Contact Form

DO I HAVE A CASE?

Contact us at the Yost Legal Group for a free initial consultation. We can help to provide information about ongoing litigation or discuss the circumstances of your individual case. There is no fee or expense unless you recover.