$500,000 Physical Therapy Malpractice Settlement: An unidentified woman who was wheelchair bound due to a spinal cord injury was admitted into a health care facility for physical therapy treatments. During one of her physical therapy sessions, the physical therapist had the woman attempt to stand between parallel bars. While she was attempting to comply with the physical therapist’s instructions, the woman slid forward in her wheelchair as she attempted to stand. As a result, she fell to the floor, fracturing both of her ankles.
The woman filed a Virginia physical therapy medical malpractice lawsuit against the health care facility, alleging that the physical therapist breached the applicable standard of care by failing to provide the appropriate assistance to her during physical therapy.
The woman’s medical negligence claims were presented to a judge during mediation in September 2022. The original settlement demand was reported to be $850,000, and the settle offer was reportedly $500,000. Through mediation, the woman’s claims were settled for $500,000. The woman’s medical expenses related to her claim were reportedly $100,000.
Physical Therapist Statistics
Physical therapists, sometimes called PTs, care for people of all ages who have functional problems resulting from back and neck injuries; sprains, strains, and fractures; arthritis; amputations; neurological disorders, such as stroke or cerebral palsy; injuries related to work and sports; and other conditions.
Physical therapists use a variety of techniques to care for their patients. These techniques include exercises; training in functional movement, which may include the use of equipment such as canes, crutches, wheelchairs, and walkers; and special movements of joints, muscles, and other soft tissue to improve mobility and decrease pain.
Physical therapists typically work in private offices and clinics, hospitals, patients’ homes, and nursing homes. They spend much of their time on their feet, actively working with patients. Physical therapists entering the occupation need a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. All states require physical therapists to be licensed.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for physical therapists was $95,620 in May 2021. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $61,930, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $127,110. Employment of physical therapists is projected to grow 17 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 15,400 openings for physical therapists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
If you or a loved one were harmed as a result of physical therapist malpractice in the United States, you should promptly find a physical therapy medical malpractice attorney in your state, who may investigate your physical therapist malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a physical therapy medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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