A jury awarded a North Carolina man $816,988 after he suffered permanent spinal cord damage due to a postoperative complication, reports the Wilkes Journal-Patriot.
Five things to know:
1. The payout breakdown was $416,988 in lost earnings and $400,000 for pain and suffering.
2. The man suffered a spinal epidural hematoma following a cervical spinal fusion procedure, which was compressing on his spinal cord and eventually led to permanent nerve damage.
3. He experienced severe pain after discharge and was taken back to Ashe Memorial Hospital in Jefferson, N.C., after he fell at home two days after surgery.
4. The hospital didn't have an MRI scan and the man's condition worsened. His attorneys alleged the hospital didn't properly monitor him in the ER and his condition substantially deteriorated.
5. The defendants included spine surgeon James Califf, MD, emergency room physician Joseph Lozano, MD, and Ashe Memorial.