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Quadriplegia Following Spinal Surgery Leads to $23.87M Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict Against York Hospital

Quadriplegia Following Spinal Surgery Leads to $23.87M Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict Against York Hospital

A
Anmol Tiwari
September 30, 2024
Quadriplegia Following Spinal Surgery Leads to $23.87M Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict Against York Hospital

James Spangler vs. York Hospital

Case Background

On February 3, 2020, Plaintiff James Spangler and Wendy Spangler filed a Medical Malpractice lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas, York County (Case number: 2020-SU-000316). Judge Matthew D Menges presided over the case.

Cause

On October 11, 2021, James Spangler underwent posterior cervical laminoplasty surgery at York Hospital. Dr. Joseph A. Kurzweil of York Neurological Associates, P.C., performed the procedure. The surgical team planned a C3-C5 laminoplasty to address Spangler's cervical spine issues. During the operation, they employed intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring to assess Spangler's neurological function in real-time. As the surgery progressed, the surgical team noted that the signals were small, unreliable, and/or absent, indicating potential neurological compromise. These concerning findings should have prompted immediate action. However, Dr. Kurzweil and his team failed to properly recognize, appreciate, or act upon these critical findings. Instead of halting the procedure or modifying their approach in light of the abnormal monitoring results, the team continued with the planned C3-C5 laminoplasty. This decision had severe consequences for the patient. Immediately after the surgery, Spangler exhibited significant neurological damage. He could not move his arms and legs, indicating a severe spinal cord injury. Despite these alarming symptoms, the medical team failed to take appropriate post-operative actions. They did not order immediate cervical spine imaging, which could have revealed the extent of the injury and guided further treatment. They also failed to return Spangler to the operating room for urgent surgical intervention, which might have mitigated the damage. Given the severity of Spangler's condition, the standard of care ty

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Tags

Damages
Paralysis
Vicarious liability
quadriplegia
cervical laminoplasty
Corporate negligence
Medical Malprcatice lawsuit
spinal cord injury
Surgical negligence
York Hospital
paralysis
damages
vicarious liability
corporate negligence
medical malprcatice lawsuit
surgical negligence
york hospital