We handle malpractice suits throughout the Baltimore-Washington area for:
- Birth delivery errors (including cases involving cerebral palsy, brachial plexus palsy, Erb's palsy, and shoulder dystocia)
- Hospital malpractice in the emergency room or after admission, surgical errors (such as cutting or severing organs, nerves, ducts, vessels or bowels and anesthesia mistakes)
- Medication or drug errors and mistakes (such as drug overdoses, unrecognized drug allergies or improper use or combination of drugs)
- Misdiagnosis (such as cancer, meningitis, pulmonary embolism, and stroke)
- Nursing home negligence claims
Nursing Home Malpractice and Abuse Our nursing home cases rank among the most heartbreaking cases we handle. Typical medical malpractice cases usually involve a well-intentioned doctor or nurse make a foolish mistake even though their heart was in the right place.
Nursing home cases are often very different. They often involve more than just a simple error. Many of these cases are the result of nursing home staff who are willfully indifferent to the needs of their residents. There are even cases -- too many cases -- where the abuse is intentional.
Nursing home neglect and abuse can lead to bedsore, fall, urinary tract infections, bedsores, malnutrition or dehydration, and an assortment of other maladies that can cause severe injury and death. Our attorneys are committed to using our experience and resources to provide providing aggressive representation to victims to maximize the settlement and trial value of nursing home cases.
Products Liability Claims Our firm also handles a limited number of product liability/product defect pharmaceutical and medical device cases not only in Maryland but around the country involving:
Truck Accidents Imagine getting hit by a semi, 18-wheeler or any other commercial vehicle. Victims of these accidents are left seriously injured, terrified, rattled, traumatized, and even killed. Where do you go and what do you do if you or someone you love was injured or killed in a truck accident?
Make no mistake about it. Truck accidents are altogether different from, and a great deal more involved than, a car or motorcycle accident. Truck accidents can be caused by such factors as human error or distraction, lack of maintenance or inspection of the commercial vehicles by the owner of the vehicle, mechanical failure or even intoxication of the driver. What most victims do not realize is that there are various regulations and circumstances which involve Maryland truck accident law, Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, accident reconstruction, investigations, and ultimately the chain of liability of the accident.
As the accident victim, you have rights for compensation and due process for justice. You need a lawyer with decades of combined experience handling commercial vehicle or truck accident claims to fight for those rights and represent your best interests. The decision to seek the assistance of a law firm that has the experience, familiarity and knowledge to navigate the Maryland state and federal regulations and limitations placed on the handling of truck accident claims against sophisticated defendants such as large companies, commercial vehicle drivers, and their attorneys is the one of most important decisions you will face. You need a competent and skilled law firm trained to oppose the trucking companies, their attorneys and their insurance companies and who has a proven record of obtaining million dollar verdicts and settlements in these difficult cases.
Miller & Zois has this experience. Our truck accident attorneys are experienced and fully ready and equipped to fight for the victims who have suffered severe injuries or for the families who have lost a loved one as the result of a commercial truck accident. Our firm's belief is that we are more successful in handling the catastrophic injury and wrongful death truck accident claims than many other law firms in Maryland. The trucking companies and their insurance companies have a tendency to turn to the same small circle of defense lawyers in these cases. Knowledgeable victims who have done their research tend to turn to an even smaller group of victims' lawyers who have the experience to maximize the judgements, and in turn the value, of their cases.
Motorcycle Accidents At Miller & Zois, we understand the joys and the associated risks of riding a motorcycle. Since we have lawyers who are experienced riders, we know what it is like in the real world as a motorcyclist. We understand that too often, other drivers on the road are often distracted and completely ignore and disregard us. Ultimately, too many motorcyclists are killed each year because we are invisible to those many distracted motorists.
Our motorcycle accident lawyers have had the unfortunate and unpleasant experience of witnessing on a very personal level the trauma, injuries, and deaths caused by negligent drivers. The human body is simply not constructed to tolerate and stand up against the impact of a car or truck which outweighs the motorcyclist by several thousand pounds and has a strength which far exceeds any human body. Our firm has compassionate, experienced and knowledgeable attorneys who have represented families who lost their loved ones and the victims who have survived the crash only to go on to suffer broken limbs, amputations, and traumatic brain injuries. We have confronted the insurance companies and have successfully been able to secure compensation and justice for our clients and for the family members left behind after their loved one tragically lost a life due to the carelessness and negligence of another driver.
Unfortunately, in the fast-paced world in which we live, if you have had the unpleasant experience of being in a motorcycle crash and injured, or worse, killed, you are the one at a disadvantage. Juries tend to see motorcyclists and they incorrectly visualize the image of the guy that went past them at some previous point in their life at 100 miles an hour on a racing style motorcycle (sometimes called a “crotch rocket”). The insurance companies want to take full advantage of this misperception and apply it to your case. You need experienced trial lawyers who have the reputation of being successful and who will tailor and develop your case to assist you or your family receive the compensation you deserve for medical bills, lost wages, and, most importantly, pain and suffering.
All of our motorcycle accident cases are on a contingency fee basis. This means that there is never an attorney fee charged unless we successfully negotiate a settlement or receive a judgment in the courts on your behalf.
Birth Injury At Miller & Zois, our experienced and knowledgeable Maryland birth injury lawyers understand the physical, emotional and financial tolls that birth injuries place on your child and your family. The care received before and after birth is critical to a baby's successful development, health and future. Birth injuries are often the result of the mistake or negligence of a doctor or nurse. When this unfortunate incident occurs, you may be able to recover compensation on behalf of your child and for your family for the unnecessary and needless harm, financial strains, and possible future special care expenses that this negligence or mistake may have caused.
If you ask our law firm to review your child's case, what would our firm do for you? The first thing we would do is listen to you. As the parent or guardian, you will have personal knowledge of the situation and you will be able to communicate to us any credible and relevant information that may not appear in the medical records. We take the time to learn about what you, your child, and your family have endured as the result of these birth injuries.
Our birth injury lawyers will then start to work for you by collecting all of the relevant medical records. We do a complete and thorough review and analyzation of specific areas such as electronic fetal monitor strips, tests performed (or not performed) on the mother and her child, and the labor and delivery flow. This careful assessment of these areas will give you the necessary and crucial answers that were not provided by the hospital or OB. The sad truth is that 10% of OB/GYNs admit to lying to a patient to avoid a malpractice lawsuit.
There are many mistakes doctors make that lead to birth injuries and medical malpractice lawsuits. Our lawyers have repeatedly seen many of the same types of cases:
Failing to Order a Timely Caesarian Section: The failure to give an emergency Caesarian when the child is not reassuring (fetal distress) is a very common course of birth injuries. Oxygen is critical at this juncture of life. If the child is not getting the necessary oxygen to support the baby's organs, then delivery has to happen quickly. A reasonable person might question why there is a delay in the ordering of C-sections when doctors and nurses have the knowledge and experience to know that this is a common cause of birth injuries and are aware of the potential lawsuits from these injuries. Although this is a legitimate and reasonable question, our attorneys have found that there is an extensive number of obstetricians who incorrectly think that there are too many C-sections performed and there have been doctors who have panicked at the first sight of a problem. As a result, there are some doctors who have gone to the other end of the spectrum and stubbornly resist a C-section even when the condition of the child demands one. This delay or failure to timely perform a C-section can cause birth injuries that the child and their family will carry for a lifetime.
Failure to Secure Oxygen for the Baby: While you and I can endure relatively extended periods of oxygen deprivation, a fetus or newborn child cannot. Doctors and nurses have the critical responsibility of providing the baby with all of the oxygen necessary by the vital organs, especially the brain, for successful health, growth and ultimate survival.
Improper Forceps Use: Unfortunately, in addition to the question of whether or not to perform a C-section, the use of forceps involves doctors who tend to go to the extremes on the spectrum. While there are some doctors who have the necessary skills and knowledge to properly use forceps, there are doctors who do not who have the necessary skills and knowledge to properly use forceps. As a result of this lack of knowledge and experience, these doctors should not take on the responsibility of delivering babies. These polarizing positions put babies at risk. In the skilled hands of a properly trained doctor, forceps are a necessary and useful tool in delivery practices. When the doctor lacks the skill and expertise required for forceps, this can lead to brain bleeds and nerve damage.
Improper Use of Pitocin: The drug Pitocin is given to mothers to expedite childbirth. Giving a mother Pitocin during the birth process is rarely considered negligence by itself. But Pitocin is a dangerous drug that can cause excessive uterine activity. If the baby is showing distress on the electronic fetal heart rate monitor, reasonable care requires the nurse to discontinue the use of Pitocin. Too often, distracted or uninformed doctors and nurses continue to administer Pitocin, which can cause injury to the child.
Hypoxia (lack of oxygen): Many birth injuries, including many cases of cerebral palsy, are the result of oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery. The frustrating part is that the baby is often telling the medical professionals via the electronic fetal monitor, that there is an oxygen deficiency that needs to be addressed quickly.
Other birth injuries include:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
- Shoulder dystocia
- Placental abruption
- Herpes encephalitis
- Caput Succedaneum
- Intrauterine growth restriction
- Perinatal Encephalopathy
- Uterine rupture
- Placenta previa
- Hypoglycemia induced brain injury
- Infant subgaleal hematoma (brain bleed)
Wrongful Death No matter what the reason, nothing hurt more than losing someone you love. It is made all the more painful when the death could have been avoided if not for a mistake made by a doctor or negligent driver.
Our law firm has 150 years of combined experience fighting for families in wrongful death medical malpractice and car accident cases. We help families fight for financial compensation when they have lost loved ones in accident or medical malpractice cases. It is the least we can do for someone who has had to endure this unimaginable suffering.
Our website and our lawyer can explain to you how death cases work in Maryland. We explain the two distinct claims -- wrongful death and survival action -- and how they work for you.
We have a history of maximizing the value of these cases? Why? Because we understand Maryland's wrongful death law and we know how to apply it. While it sounds very simple, many victims' trial lawyers cannot operate this law to their client's maximum advantage. At Miller & Zois, we can and we have a track record to prove it.