Accident lawyer explains what personal injury victims should do if they have these defective hip devices
I received a call yesterday from an old client. He was involved in a bad car accident in Flint, in 2006, and I was the lawyer who helped him afterward. The car accident fractured his hip and wrist, and caused a traumatic brain injury and TMJ. I am writing about this case now because, sadly this client is (five years later) one of my first DePuy hip implant recovery cases.
This client was one of the first in Michigan to receive a DePuy Orthopaedics hip implant. As you may have heard, Depuy Orhopaedics has now voluntarily recalled its defective metal hip implant systems, including the ASR XL Acetabular devise “ASR” which was used on my client from Flint. The device was used primarily between 2005-10, before the recall began.
I’ve given my client the name of an excellent DePuy hip implant attorney, who is also a friend of mine and who is handling hip implant recall cases involving Depuy. Sadly, these will likely be major lawsuits. There are now confirmed problems with these hip devices that are causing major physical complications in people who received the implant, including metallosis in the hip joints. Having just come from the Litigators 360 Seminar last week where I presented, these defective hip implant cases are a major topic, and many accident lawyers have teamed together to form DePuy ASR hip implant litigation and trial teams. Unfortunately, as in every area of litigation, there are lawyers who are leaders in this subject and lawyers that people should stay away from.
If you were injured in a car accident in Michigan and received a hip implant from DePuy, there will be special complications for recovery that other DePuy litigation victims in other states may not, have due to Michigan’s product liability laws. I would recommend speaking with a knowledgeable accident lawyer, who can help answer your questions and make an appropriate referral, if necessary, to the most advantageous venue for recovery to maximize the value of your DePuy case. Please call Michigan Auto Law at (248) 353-7575 if you have any questions, I’m happy to help.
– Steve Gursten is head of Michigan Auto Law. He is recognized as one of the nation’s top personal injury lawyers handling serious car accident and truck accident lawsuits. Michigan Auto Law has had the top-reported verdict for a car or truck accident case in seven of the past 10 years.
Related information:
Finding the best accident lawyer in Michigan
What happens when Michigan residents get injured in another state?
Michigan Auto Law is the largest law firm exclusively handling car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state. We have offices in Farmington Hills, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Sterling Heights to better serve you. Call (248) 353-7575 for a free consultation with one of our accident lawyers.
Steve,
Thank you for helping to spread the word here. These implants are a huge cause for concern. There are many recipients undergoing multiple replacement surgeries to correct the oversight from these manufacturers, and some don’t even find out until it’s too late. The metal on metal implants can even cause blood poisoning in some cases, compounding the problems.
The average age of hip implant patients is around 65 years, although it is not uncommon for younger people to receive such implants, especially when the hip is damaged due to accidents. The Depuy ASR systems recalled in 2010 were a meal-on-metal type of implants and they were commonly used in younger patients because these implants were most suited for an active lifestyle. Unfortunately instead of lasting 15 years, they showed higher then average failure rates after just 3 years, along with serious complications.