A Texas medical malpractice jury awarded a 57-year-old man $6.2 million after a week-long trial in February 2024. The jury determined that the defendant neurosurgeon who allegedly caused the permanent injury to the man was 60% at fault, thereby making him 100% liable for the verdict under Texas law.
The man had a 30-year history of chronic low back problems after an incident that occurred earlier in his life. He had five prior back surgeries before being referred to the defendant neurosurgeon, who allegedly told the man that he could fix his back problems with surgery. The man underwent the elective back surgery in 2018 during which, according to the man’s Texas medical malpractice lawsuit, the surgeon overly stretched or compressed the nerves in his back that controlled mobility and caused permanent neurological injury that impairs the functioning of the man’s bladder and bowels.
The man’s Texas medical malpractice lawsuit further alleged that neuromonitoring during the surgery that could help identify nerve issues in real time during that surgery that would assist the surgeon in avoiding and responding to potential nerve injury was negligently performed.
The man’s Texas medical malpractice lawyer stated after the verdict: “There was some indication during the surgery that something had happened. If you’re not careful and protecting your patients, there are there are consequences to you too. It won’t just be the patient who has to pay physically. Proctor lost the use of his legs as a result of the operation. The evidence was clear. I mean, he caused this by compressing or stretching the nerves and the spinal column below the spinal cord. This was a clear case of medical negligence, and we are pleased that the jury agreed. These were life-altering mistakes made by medical professionals entrusted with Bill’s health and well-being. Although nothing can change what happened, our hope is that this result brings him and his family peace. In a case like this, you have a life care plan when someone has future medical needs that will last them the rest of their life. That’s what the bulk of this is for.”
Source
The medical malpractice defense attorney responded in an email: “We do not normally comment on pending litigation. However, we can say we believe the result in this case is not supported by the evidence. We plan to request a new trial or, in the alternative, appeal the verdict.”
If you or a loved one have suffered serious harm as a result of surgical malpractice in Texas or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Texas medical malpractice attorney, or a medical malpractice attorney in your state, who may investigate your surgical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a surgical medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Click here to visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find surgery medical malpractice lawyers in your U.S. state who may assist you.
Turn to us when you don’t know where to turn.
