QUESTION
Do I have a case to sue a hospital or doctor?
Asked on May 18th, 2013 on Medical Malpractice - Texas
More details to this question:
On Feb. 21, 2012 I went to Methodist Hospital to have a rt. knee replacement. When i woke from the surgery I had no feeling from my waist down. Three days later they discover I had a pinched nerve to L4 and L5 vertebra so I went back into surgery for a lamectomy of L4 L5. I did not get feeling back so they transferred my to the rehab center in the hospital were I stayed for 10 days while they were helping cope with the process of walking while I had no feeling in my feet or legs. They had to teach me to cath myself as my bladder and bowels no longer function. They told me I had sever nerve damage and it would take 6 mths. to 2 years for feeling to return. In Sept. I had a Metronic nerve stimulator inserted along my sacral nerves to help with my bladder and bowels, however, this has not worked. It has been 15 mths. now and I still do not have feeling returning. Is it too late to try to sue the hospital or do I have a right to sue?
1 ANSWER
Catastrophic Injury Attorney serving Roseland, NJ
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John J. Ratkowitz
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It is hard to see how the surgeon could have damaged spinal nerves when he was performing knee surgery. Has it been suggested that you suffered a pinched nerve due to positioning during the surgery?
Whatever the reason for the injury, you should retain an attorney to investigate the records given the stakes involved.
If you want to investigate a case further, you should contact a local medical malpractice attorney (one in your state). They take these cases on a contingency basis which means you only have to pay if you succeed. Additionally, initial consultations are usually free. You can use the "Find a Lawyer" service through this website to research medical malpractice attorneys. Then, visit each attorney's website and look for a firm that has a record of successful verdicts.
Below are some articles you may find helpful. They are written for a New Jersey audience (where I practice) but the ideas discussed in these articles usually apply in most other jurisdictions as well.
Click here for an article that discusses the three main questions I ask when deciding whether to investigate a potential medical malpractice case. This discusses the issue of financial viability.
Click here for an article that explains what you can expect when filing a medical malpractice case.
Click here and here for more information about me.
Answered on May 19th, 2013 at 12:36 PM