Posted in News on June 20, 2014
Montana residents who seek medical treatment generally expect their doctors and other medical professionals to correctly diagnose them the first time around. Unfortunately, this does not always happen, causing the victim to endure further suffering until a proper diagnosis is finally made. Recently, a couple filed a medical malpractice suit against a number of health care professionals for failing to diagnose a spinal cord injury. The lawsuit was filed against at least one nurse practitioner, two doctors and a few hospitals.
The lawsuit alleges that in 2012 the patient in this particular case suffered traumatic neck and head injuries while riding a lawn mower. Shortly thereafter, he was taken to hospital and was under the care of the health care providers named in the lawsuit. The couple alleges that the nurse practitioner and at least one doctor made note of the man’s complaints but deemed the injuries he suffered to be non-serious.
However, the couple alleges that his woes did not dissipate, and he continued to experience issues with movement and suffered pain. They visited another doctor who similarly ascertained that the man’s injuries were not serious in nature. Nevertheless, he referred the man for further tests. It was during one of these tests that it was discovered that the man’s lack of movement was due to the earlier undiagnosed spinal cord injury which likely happened during the lawn mower accident. Sadly, because of the failure to diagnose the spinal cord injury in a timely fashion, and because the man did not receive the necessary care to treat the injury, he was paralyzed. The man is now a quadriplegic.
The couple is seeking compensation for injuries, and has accused the health care providers of negligent care, failing to diagnose and thus worsening his condition. For many, it is difficult to imagine the pain this family is going through. Most patients visit a medical professional hoping that their aliment will be diagnosed adequately and treated accordingly. Despite all the training a health care professional undergoes, there are still times when they may make mistakes. Such mistakes can result in permanent disability and change a patient’s life forever. Anyone who believes that a health care professional has erred may find it helpful to meet with a medical malpractice law firm to discuss the facts of one’s case.
Source: The West Virginia Record, “Couple claim missed diagnosis led to man’s paralysis,” Matt Russell, June 4, 2014