Undergoing surgery can be an aggressive — but effective — solution for many complicated medical problems. While it can be frightening, surgery can also dramatically improve a person’s condition and quality of life.
However, if proper precautions are not taken to make sure the surgery goes as smoothly as possible, serious complications can arise that do anything but make life easier for a patient. In these situations, it may be appropriate to file a medical malpractice claim in Atlanta if a surgical error was made. This is the route one man went after an operation left him paralyzed; he was recently awarded more than $9 million in damages by a jury.
Reports indicate that the man had gone to the hospital with flu-like symptoms and was dehydrated. Hospital workers gave him fluids and found that his illness was stemming from a perforated bowel; surgery was needed to repair the injury.
Unfortunately, before the man was started on anesthesia for the surgery, the treatment to rehydrate him was stopped. This, according to the lawsuit, caused his blood pressure to drop during the surgery and a decrease in blood to his spinal cord. While the man survived the operation, he was left paralyzed.
Paralysis can be one of the most devastating conditions that can be suffered when an operation does not go as planned. This can and does result in drastic life changes.
In this case, for example, the man tried to continue working as an auto mechanic but found his condition prevented him from doing so. He also requires regular intensive physical therapy and must use a wheelchair. People in similar situations suffer from emotional distress and require updates to their homes to make life a little easier.
These adjustments and changes can be quite extensive and expensive and many people file a civil claim to recover these and other damages suffered as a result of paralyzing medical error. In this man’s case, he was $9.1 million.
While not every malpractice claim results in multi-million dollar awards or settlements, many do result in compensation being paid to the victims of medical mistakes. With the help of an attorney, you can pursue financial compensation that reflects the extent of damages you have suffered if you are in a similar situation.
Source: Star Tribune, “Paralyzed Minnesota mechanic awarded $9.1M in malpractice verdict,” Jeremy Olson, Oct. 17, 2015
