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A Tennessee woman who is now partially paralyzed because of a spinal infection she developed after a pain shot was recently awarded $6 million in damages by a Michigan jury.
Doctor Negligence
Betty Geldersma visited the West Michigan Pain Clinic in May 2003 to receive shots for pain in her neck. She had been visiting family in the area but was back in Tennessee two days later when she had to see an emergency room physician for what was diagnosed as an epidermal abscess.
According to Geldersma’s lawsuit, the doctor who administered her shots failed to swab the skin with disinfectant and this caused her to develop the abscess. The suit charged the doctor and the pain clinic with negligence.
“Medical negligence cases are always very difficult because juries don’t want to second-guess a doctor. But we thought this was a case of strong liability and large damages. This type of infection is not something that happens unless there has been a failure to swab the area,” said attorney Brad Glazier.
Jury Award
The jury award includes more than $4 million for past and future medical expenses, as well as over $1.5 million for past and future pain and suffering. Geldersma’s husband, Gerald, was also awarded $150,000 for his suffering.
However, state law in Michigan limits awards for pain and suffering to $717,000, which will bring the Geldersmas’ total award to $5.2 million.
(Source: The Grand Rapids Press)
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