How to File a Paralysis Lawsuit in Cleveland September 11, 2017.
If a car accident or medical malpractice caused a spinal cord injury or paralysis, attorney Chris Mellino welcomes you to contact our Cleveland office for a free consultation.
What Causes Paralysis?
As ChristopherReeve.org states, "The most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction is trauma (including motor vehicle accidents, falls, shallow diving, acts of violence, and sports injuries). Damage can also occur from various diseases acquired at birth or later in life, from tumors, electric shock, and loss of oxygen related to surgical or underwater mishaps."
Paralysis and Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
April 21, 2009, U.S. News reported that 5.6 million Americans live with "some form of paralysis," and 1.257 million have suffered a spinal cord injury on the job, in a car accident, during sports or recreation activities, such as swimming.
Paralysis Lawsuits in the News
April 15, 2010, a married couple filed a lawsuit against a spinal surgeon who’d been sued "numerous" times for malpractice, per tampabay.com. Their 47-page complaint alleged that, in November 2007, Kathy Scott underwent back surgery, which caused severe bleeding and lower limb paralysis. Rather than transfer his patient to a hospital, Dr. Alfred O. Bonati kept her in the outpatient clinic overnight and told her husband that she should have another operation.
Bonati performed the second surgery the next day and convinced Mr. Scott that Kathy should recuperate at a hotel instead of the local hospital which, he said, was battling a staph infection outbreak. This was a lie. Bonati didn’t have hospital admitting privileges. In fact, according to another lawsuit, Bonati operated on a patient 13 times in seven months and kept her in a condo for six weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Scott’s claim alleges that "Bonati ‘secretly warehous[ed]’ patients at local hotels or condos to ‘cover up’ surgical mistakes," tampabay.com reported.
Earlier in 2010, an arbitration panel ordered Bonati to pay nearly $12 million to a 71-year-old man who’d undergone "eight unnecessary, expensive, and increasingly dangerous surgeries … that left him unable to walk eight years later and in constant, agonizing pain."
November 5, 2013, The Columbus Dispatch reported that the University of Cincinnati had settled a paralysis lawsuit for $2.3 million.
"[Cynthia] Adae sued the university, Clinton Memorial Hospital, and others in October 2007 after she said doctors failed to diagnose an epidural abscess on her spine when she complained of a limited range of motion in her upper right arm, right shoulder pain, high fevers, and a cough," the paper stated. Despite the fact that lab results revealed an infection, the hospital discharged her, and she wound up undergoing emergency surgery elsewhere the following week.
The 57-year-old woman filed the lawsuit because she has difficulty moving her upper body and is "completely dependent on her husband," her attorney stated. The couple will use the settlement money to retrofit their home for better wheelchair accessibility and possibly hire a healthcare aide.
Christopher Mellino Welcomes Your Paralysis Lawsuit Questions
If you have questions about a claim for a spine injury or paralysis, attorney Chris Mellino invites you to contact our Cleveland office for a free consultation. You may also download or request Chris’ free, easy-to-read guide to filing a medical malpractice claim in Ohio.
