Every year, approximately 225,000 people in the United States die from medical malpractice.  Countless patients are also seriously injured from medical negligence as well.  Many cases are never even reported or legally pursued by the patients; therefore making medical malpractice injuries a difficult statistic to accurately monitor.Medical negligence is the act or omission of treatment for a patient by a medical professional, which deviates from the accepted medical standard of care.  Medical malpractice involves negligence in...

Kernicterus is a rare form of brain damage that occurs in some newly born infants with severe jaundice.  Jaundice is a yellow coloring of the skin, eyes or other tissue.  Kernicterus can occur from elevated levels of bilirubin which move from the blood into the brain tissues where it causes brain damage to the baby. Bilirubin is a substance that is formed when the liver breaks down and removes old red blood cells that can be...

Ask most people what they worry about when visiting a hospital and they will probably tell you they are afraid of getting a shot, having blood drawn, or surgery. However, most people probably never realize the dangers involved with preventable medical errors, anesthesia mistakes, hospital acquired infections, medication errors, and many other problems related to medical malpractice. While most people probably never think they will encounter a medical error when visiting a doctor’s office or hospital,...

A birth injury is one of the most stressful and frightening events that can happen to a family. There are two main types of injuries that can happen during the birthing process; injuries from a lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain and injuries from trauma. Both types of injuries can result in life-long disabilities for the baby. If these injuries could have been prevented, then the family may have a medical malpractice claim....

As the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of President Obama’s health-care reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, there are some important points to remember.  The case has been polarizing for the United States: it would provide health insurance to some 32 million Americans lacking coverage, a major social accomplishment for some, but also would force people to buy insurance — an intrusion into civil liberties for others.   Here are four important...

  (Houston, TX)  Texas attorney Howard Nations, the immediate past president of The National Trial Lawyers, is taking on the manufacturer of Pradaxa, a blood thinning drug which the FDA is investigating for possibly causing serious, possibly fatal bleeding.  Doctors prescribe Pradaxa to help reduce strokes and prevent blood clots in patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), sometimes referred to as an irregular heartbeat.   Nations says the drug has been linked to bleeding so severe...

By Andrew Findley and Niki Pierce California discrimination attorney Gloria Allred, a member of The National Trial Lawyers executive committee, was recently interviewed on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight.  Morgan asked Allred if she believed political candidates should be precluded from running for office if it is proven that they have had an extramarital affair.  You can watch Allred’s interview by clicking on the link below: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/03/23/pmt-allred-on-politics.cnn...

By Andrew Findley and Niki Pierce Mike Papantonio, the president of The National Trial Lawyers, talked about the recent killing of a young black man in Florida on MSNBC’s The Ed Show on Wednesday, March 21, 2012.  Papantonio criticized the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) involvement in passing the “Stand Your Ground” law passed in Florida.  The “Stand Your Ground” law is getting attention after the recent fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.  Police say...

Having spent seven years of undergraduate and law school education at the University of South Carolina, Bea Hightower has decided it's time to return. Except this time, she is going to be sharing knowledge instead of gaining it. Ms. Hightower will be serving in an adjunct teaching position, and her primary responsibility will be to teach the university's course on Criminal Courts. It will explore the structure, organization and functions of the federal and state court...

South Carolina attorney Robert Reeves, founding partner of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower LLC, has been listed as one of the state’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers (NTL). NTL is a professional, educational and business organization of trial attorneys. Its membership is limited only to those it selects on its top 100 trial lawyers list. These spots are offered to those attorneys that the NTL believe have demonstrated superior qualifications of leadership,...