$3.7 Million Settlement for Failure to Timely Diagnose Spinal Hematoma

The firm secured a settlement in the amount of $3.7 million on behalf of a woman in her mid 50s in a case involving a failure to diagnose an epidural hematoma. The woman had a sudden onset of severe back pain. Her motor assessment upon arrival at the ER was normal. The working diagnosis was that of renal colic. The plaintiff complained later that she could not move her right leg. An MRI of the lumbar spine revealed an epidural hematoma. A neurosurgeon called for an evaluation told the plaintiff that she was no longer a candidate for surgical decompression of the hematoma. Our client is now a paraplegic with a neurogenic bowel and bladder (incontinence).