Ashcraft & Gerel LLP is one of the largest personal injury law firms in the nation with a practice limited exclusively to representation of the victims of civil wrongs, or torts. Over the past 50 years the firm has grown to six offices and approximately 40 lawyers, all of whom devote their exclusive efforts to personal injury litigation. Although our principal locations are in Washington, D.C., Maryland (four offices), and Virginia, many of our lawyers are licensed to practice in distant courts and jurisdictions, and we frequently accept or associate on cases in those locations.
For example, we handle claims for:
People injured by the prescription diet drug Fen-Phen and other dangerous, defective and unsafe drugs, medical devices and consumer products. These are called product liability claims, and they include the drug litigation over Baycol, the cholesterol lowering drug, found to cause serious injury and death due to a muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis, another cholesterol lowering drug called Crestor , found to cause kidney damage and rhabdomyolysis, the diabetes drug, Rezulin , which has been withdrawn from the market after being found to cause severe liver damage, liver failure and death, as well as Propulsid , which is a heartburn medication withdrawn from the market after being linked to hundreds of heart rhythm abnormalities and many deaths. Three drugs recently found to be dangerous and that have prompted many lawyers to file lawsuits are Vioxx , Celebrex and Bextra. Medical product liability lawsuits also include Sulzer defective hip implant claims and the FDA's second round of defective hip implant recalls . Other relatively recent medical product liability claims involve (1) contaminated Olympus bronchoscopes , which have caused many people to become seriously ill from lung infections following broncoscopy and (2) failures associated with the stent-graft that is part of Guidant's Ancure endograft system. Guidant has also, as of June, 2005, recalled 50,000 defective cardiac defibrillators (sometimes called an ICD or implantable cardioverter defibrillator) that have, to date, resulted in at least 45 failures and at least two deaths. People suffering from hemorrhagic stroke caused by the chemical additive Phenylpropanolamine or PPA , a common ingredient in over the counter weight loss drugs as well as cold and cough medications and people sustaining heart attacks and strokes from ephedra contained in dietary supplements. People suffering from liver damage caused by the prescription anti-depressant Serzone . People suffering from serious side effects and death caused by the prescription diet drug Meridia . Babies who suffer birth injuries, brain damage or cerebral palsy due to birth trauma or medical malpractice . Children who suffer lead poisoning and brain damage from ingesting lead paint chips or dust . People who suffer injuries due to medical malpractice by physicians, hospitals and other health care providers. These claims include nursing home and senior citizen medical malpractice claims , one of modern society's most troubling areas. People injured in automobile accidents resulting from the negligence of other drivers. People injured at work and covered by Workers' Compensation laws , including the Longshoremens' & Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and the Defense Base Act , which covers injuries to employees of government contractors while they are working overseas. Since our primary offices are in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., we handle many Maryland Workers' Compensation Claims , Virginia Workers' Compensation Claims and District of Columbia Workers' Compensation Claims . Social Security Disability claimants. Injured railroad employees covered by the FELA statute. "Whistle Blowers" with "Qui Tam" claims under the Federal False Claims Act. People suffering from asbestos related lung disease, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. Construction workers or other workers injured through the negligence of others.
Plaintiffs personal injury lawyers in Maryland, Virginia and DC