Following a serious injury most individuals in the state of Pennsylvania seek medical assistance at a hospital. The assumption they have when they go there is that the care they receive will improve their condition. Much of the time this is true. There are times however when a patient suffers, and is actually further injured, while in a hospital receiving treatment. When the further injury is due to negligence on the part of a health care provider, legal action may make sense.
A Pennsylvania man who said he was paralyzed as a result of the treatment he received after suffering a spinal injury, recently succeeded in this.
The man was hurt when a treetop weighing 500 pounds fell on his back. When he went to a hospital for treatment he did not get a complete set of spinal X-rays due to the fact that he was in too much pain to position himself in the way that was needed to get the images. The X-rays that were taken did not reveal that the man had actually suffered a spinal fracture in the incident. That fracture ultimately left him paralyzed.
The basis of the man’s malpractice lawsuit is that in lieu of the X-rays, the man should have been given a CT scan. That scan could have revealed the fracture and led to proper treatment. The actions of three doctors who treated the man were specifically called into question for missing the fracture.
The jury agreed with the injured man and found the hospital where the man went for care was liable for the actions of those physicians. The man was awarded $1.7 million for future pain and suffering and $300,000 for past pain and suffering. The man’s wife also was awarded damages totaling $200,000.
Those who believe they have be injured as a result of the medical care either provided or withheld would likely benefit from speaking with a medical malpractice attorney to determine their options.
For more information call the Cherry Hill medical malpractice lawyers at Folkman Law at 856-354-9444, or contact us online.
