Pennsylvania man receives rare award in medical malpractice suit

Any type of medical procedure comes with risks. Yet, a certain standard of care is still expected from medical professionals. When a person seeks and in-office treatment from a physician, it is not unreasonable to assume that he or she will leave in better condition than upon arrival. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.

A Pennsylvania man claimed that he suffered permanent nerve damage from a surgical mistake made during a simply in-office procedure to remove a cyst in his neck. In the days and weeks after the procedure, the man lost strength and mobility in his arm and shoulder. An orthopedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon agreed that the man’s problems were caused by a cut to the spinal accessory nerve. The doctor who had performed the cyst removal had caused irreparable damage by making too deep of an incision. The victim sued the doctor for medical malpractice and was recently awarded $4 million by a jury for enduring past, present and future challenges as a result of the permanent injury. The verdict is one of only a handful that has been handed down in favor of the plaintiff in a medical malpractice case in Montgomery County over the past few years.

It can be difficult to prove negligence in a medical malpractice lawsuit. That doesn’t mean that those who have experienced a worsened condition or pain and suffering as a result of a doctor’s error should be ignored, however. Medical professionals have a team of lawyers on their side; with help from an experienced medical malpractice attorney you can level the playing field and get the compensation you deserve.

Source: Phillyburbs.com, “Montco jury awards Hatboro man $4M for nerve damage,” Margaret Gibbons, August 27, 2013.