Portland Medical Malpractice Lawyers Want You to Know About Paraplegia Caused by Medical Malpractice in Oregon
Spinal cord injuries are some of the most devastating injuries that a personal injury victim could sustain. This is because spinal cord injuries affect a person’s ability to function on a daily level. This includes both basic hygiene and work, but also every facet of living. Many individuals who have spinal cord injuries are unable to live independently, especially when they get older. This is particularly true of individuals who have paraplegia, a type of spinal cord injury. While paraplegia only affects the lower limbs and sometimes the torso, it can have an entire body effect. Our Portland medical malpractice lawyers want you to know about paraplegia caused by by medical malpractice in Oregon and why victims and their families may be entitled to compensation for their injuries.
This is particularly true considering that the CDC estimates that within the first year of paraplegia there will be more than $519,000 in expenses and each subsequent year may be almost $70,000 a year. The average lifetime costs for a paraplegia victim are over $2.3 million if the injury occurs at the age of 25, or $1.5 million if the injury occurs at age 50. These estimates are the last ones published by the CDC and are from 2015, meaning that with inflation these figures are surely higher.
What is Paraplegia?
According to the Mayo Clinic, paraplegia is a spinal cord injury that “affects all or part of the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.” Paraplegia could be complete or incomplete. With complete paraplegia, the spinal cord is ruptured and fully torn meaning there is no connection between the brain and whatever is below the damage. This is typically the legs and lower trunk, which means no sensation can be sent back up to the brain and no signals to move or function could be sent down from the brain. With incomplete paraplegia, the spinal cord is partially ruptured meaning that some signals may be sent back and forth to the brain and the extremity but other signals may be blocked, muted, or confused.
Paraplegia Caused by Medical Malpractice in Oregon
There are many possible causes of paraplegia caused by medical malpractice in Oregon. This is because, while many healthcare providers properly care for their patients other healthcare providers utterly fail to meet their duty of care. A healthcare provider’s duty of care is a large part of what dictates if he or she was negligent. The duty of care is what a reasonably prudent healthcare provider with similar training and experience would have done in similar circumstances. Thus, a physician is held to the standard of another physician and a nurse is held to the standard of another nurse.
The most common causes of paraplegia caused by Oregon medical malpractice include the following:
- Surgical errors
- Anesthesia errors
- Birth injuries
- Failed spinal fusions
- Hospital falls
- Improper hospital transfers
- Improper injections
- Failure to treat an infection such as meningitis
- Nursing home malpractice
- Improper positioning during a surgery, and
- Many other causes to see Portland medical malpractice lawyers for help.
Paraplegia Caused by Oregon Medical Malpractice Could be Devastating
We can help protect the rights of victims injured due to Oregon medical malpractice and suffering from any type of injury, including spinal cord injuries. If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.
