Every patient deserves a quality standard of care. When it comes to surgery, a patient has to trust that the surgeon will perform to the best of his or her ability. Maryland residents may be interested in a recent successful lawsuit where a former college football player in another state was awarded over $4 million because of a surgeon error.
The ex-football player in another state had an MRI scan in 2009 after he experienced lower back pain. It showed that a particular disc was herniated -- the cushion between the vertebrae was coming out of place. The athlete chose to have surgery when the pain worsened. The initial surgery took place in Sept. 2010.
After the surgery, the pain was worse. The patient went to another surgeon, who operated on the original disc that had caused pain as well as the disc on which the first surgeon operated. It was recently found by a jury that the first surgeon operated on the wrong disc, which ultimately caused more pain and led to more surgery for the patient. The former University of Nevada, Las Vegas star was awarded $4.2 million in damages, including past and future medical expenses.
This athlete will never be able to play football again. In fact, the surgeon error will require him to undergo two or more spinal fusions within the next 30 years. Though a successful lawsuit will not give him the ability to play sports again, the damages awarded can help with the monetary difficulties caused because of the error. Maryland patients who have suffered from surgical errors have these same rights to seek financial relief by the successful navigation of a medical malpractice claim.
