As a leading Weston personal injury attorney, Lisa Levine has seen firsthand how a spinal cord injury can change a person’s life forever.
There are around 17,000 spinal injuries in the U.S. each year. A lot of these injuries could have been prevented. That’s why it’s so important to promote Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, an annual event that spotlights the efforts to prevent, treat and cure spinal injuries.
The brain sends and receives messages from the rest of the body via the spinal cord. When the spinal cord becomes damaged due to injury, the results can be devastating:
- Full or partial paralysis
- Lost or altered sensation
- Chronic pain
- Loss of movement
- Loss of motor control
- Impaired movement
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Changes in sexual function
- Respiratory difficulties
Medical Malpractice and Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries have many causes, including auto accidents, slip, trips and falls and acts of violence. However there’s one cause of spinal cord injuries in Florida that is rarely mentioned, and that’s spinal cord injuries that result from medical malpractice.
In Florida, medical malpractice happens when a healthcare provider makes a mistake or error they shouldn’t have made and the client suffers as a result.
Some of the medical errors related to spinal cord injuries in Florida include:
Misdiagnosis
Serious spinal cord conditions can be misdiagnosed as minor back pain because a doctor failed to perform the necessary tests to confirm a diagnosis. For example, Cauda Equina Syndrome is a serious, emergency medical condition that can cause permanent injuries to the patient when a doctor misdiagnoses it.
Anesthesia errors
Anesthesia is improperly administered during a procedure more often than most people would think. In some instances, this can increase the risk of epidural hematoma, resulting in a spinal cord injury.
Surgical errors
Some spinal cord injuries occur while a doctor is performing a spinal operation. Distractions, operating on the wrong area of the spine, failing to keep a patient properly positioned or failing to monitor the patient’s spinal cord function during surgery could result in a spinal cord injury.
Emergency room errors
After a traumatic event like a car accident, a health care provider may fail to recognize a spine fracture or dislocation or fail to properly immobilize a patient’s head, neck or spine during emergency care. Either case can lead to serious or permanent spinal cord injury.
Speak to a Florida Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury that was caused by a medical error, we urge you to reach out to Weston medical malpractice lawyer Lisa Levine. Depending on the circumstances that led to your spinal cord injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain, suffering, medical bills, lost wages and other damages.
Lisa S. Levine P.A. is a nationally recognized personal injury lawyer who specializes in spinal cord injuries. She has represented clients in personal injury claims throughout Broward County, including the cities Hollywood, Miramar, Sunrise, Plantation, Deerfield Beach, Pembroke Pines, Lauderhill, Pompano Beach, and Davie. Her firm also represents clients in across the nation.
Contact the law offices of Lisa Levine today at 954-256-1820 to set up a free consultation to discuss your spinal cord injury case.
