Surgery can take a toll on the body. It is not uncommon to feel exhausted after surgery, or to feel pain. You may even suffer soreness in surprising places because of how you were laid on the surgical table, but numbness or motor control issues should be a more serious concern. In many cases, numbness, pins and needles sensations, and paralysis in your extremities, or in any part of your body, may be a major concern.
The Queenan Law Firm’s Houston attorneys for paralysis caused by surgery may be able to look into your case and help you seek compensation if your injuries were caused by your doctor’s negligent care during surgery. For help with your case and to learn more about your options, contact our law offices today at (817) 476-1797.
Mistakes and Errors Causing Paralysis During Surgery
Surgery often carries the risk of pain and discomfort. These feelings are natural after surgery since there usually is some level of trauma and post-op inflammation. However, any sensations of numbness, pins and needles sensations, or lost motor function could be signs that more damage was done. These kinds of sensations are common after surgeries where mistakes were made and nerves were cut or damaged, circulation to a body part was lost, or nerves were impinged from positioning injuries.
If a doctor severs or partially cuts a nerve during a surgical procedure, you may lose function and feeling in any body parts connected to that nerve. For instance, a severed nerve in the wrist might mean lost feeling and paralysis in the hand and arm. These kinds of injuries are typically unacceptable, and doctors are typically required to use additional care and skill to prevent such injuries.
Alternatively, paralysis, numbness, or loss of sensation in part of your body could occur from loss of circulation. If you lose circulation, you could face extended numbness or pins and needles feelings in your hands, feet, or other body parts. These injuries can be avoided by maintaining proper circulation, positioning the patient properly to avoid lost circulation, and massaging the unconscious patient’s limbs, if necessary. Until circulation can be improved, you may be unable to feel or move the affected area.
Instead of awkward positioning causing lost circulation, it could also cause impingement on a nerve. Undue pressure or pinching of a nerve can also cause nerve damage, potentially leading to permanent injury of the nerve and paralysis below the point of injury. These kinds of injuries are typically known as “positioning injuries” and are usually avoided through proper medical care during a surgical procedure.
Other surgical injuries leading to paralysis come from spinal cord surgery. If your doctor mistakenly severs part of your spinal court, you could face total paralysis below the point of injury, potentially requiring a wheelchair and other assistive devices.
Suing a Physician for Surgical Mistakes and Paralysis in Texas
In many cases, the injuries or health concerns you face after surgery are caused by reasonable complications or foreseeable issues that the doctor should have prepared you for. Other issues are caused by the doctor’s negligence. Whenever you suffer injuries or paralysis from negligent healthcare, you may be entitled to take your healthcare provider to court to seek financial compensation.
Suing a doctor for medical malpractice involving paralysis from surgery means proving that the doctor’s care was “negligent.” Doctors are held to a “standard of care” defined by how a reasonable physician would treat you. For surgeons, this typically means avoiding nerve injuries and positioning injuries. If your doctor failed to uphold their duty to give you reasonable healthcare, they are considered negligent.
If that negligence caused your injuries, you can seek damages for any harms the negligence caused. This typically includes medical care costs to cover the additional care you needed to treat the injury or help with physical therapy or rehabilitation. The damages you claim in your medical malpractice lawsuit can also include compensation for lost wages. If you suffer paralysis or numbness, your physical abilities and your ability to work may be affected. Lost wages caused by the surgical error can be claimed in court.
Additionally, most medical malpractice lawsuits involve damages for pain and suffering. These damages are not as concrete as the bills and expenses for medical care or lost wages, but you can still claim them, often in high amounts. These damages are based on your personal experience of pain, mental anguish, and emotional suffering after an injury. If the paralysis affected your day-to-day activities, leisure activities, ability to care for or interact with family members, or other factors in your enjoyment of life, you can seek compensation for this.
Deadline to File a Medical Injury Lawsuit in Texas
Typically, Texas law gives you only 2 years to file a lawsuit for negligent medical care, including paralysis or permanent injuries caused during surgery. If you did not know that your injury was beyond the normal effects of a procedure, it may be difficult to file your case on time. If you suspect anything went wrong with your surgical procedure, call our law offices immediately to learn more about whether you were the victim of negligence and how to preserve your case for a lawsuit.
Call Our Houston Surgical Paralysis and Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation
Surgical errors and mistakes leading to partial, temporary, or permanent paralysis are unacceptable. If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries that caused loss of motor function, lost sensation, or pain and discomfort, talk to a lawyer immediately. Our Houston attorneys for surgical errors causing paralysis might be able to take your case and help fight to get you the compensation you need. For a free consultation on your case, call our law offices today at (817) 476-1797.