Los Angeles Paralysis Injury Attorney
Paralysis caused by a medical error is one of the most devastating outcomes a patient can experience. If a preventable mistake by a healthcare provider results in the permanent loss of movement and sensation for a patient in Los Angeles, California law gives them the right to pursue a medical malpractice claim for the harm it caused.
The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel and Associates knows how these cases work as well as anyone. Dr. Fagel’s background as both a physician and a trial attorney gives our law firm a distinct advantage in paralysis cases, where determining exactly what went wrong during treatment is essential to proving the claim.
How Does Medical Malpractice Lead to Paralysis?
Paralysis can result from damage to the spinal cord, brain, or nervous system. In circumstances where that damage occurs because a healthcare provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care, it may be grounds for a medical negligence claim. Some of the most common scenarios include:
- Surgical errors that cause direct trauma
- Anesthesia mistakes that cut off oxygen to the brain
- Failure to diagnose a stroke in time to prevent paralysis from setting in
- Birth injuries caused by negligent delivery practices
- Infections that go untreated and spread to the spinal cord
- Post-operative complications that are ignored
The type of paralysis that results depends on where the damage occurs. Paraplegia affects the lower body, while quadriplegia involves the loss of function in all four limbs. In either case, the impact on the patient’s life is permanent and profound.
How Long Do I Have To File a Paralysis Malpractice Lawsuit in California?
The statute of limitations in California for medical malpractice generally gives you one year from the date you discovered or should have discovered the injury. There is also a hard outer limit of three years from the date the malpractice occurred. Missing either deadline can permanently bar your claim.
Note that since paralysis cases often involve extended hospital stays and months of rehabilitation, it is easy to lose track of how much time has passed. Many patients spend the first year entirely focused on recovery before they begin to consider legal action. By that point, the filing window may already be closing, so it’s best to set up a free consultation with an attorney as soon as you suspect.
Contact a Los Angeles Paralysis Injury Attorney for a Free Consultation
The consequences can reach into every corner of the victim’s life when a medical provider’s negligence leaves them paralyzed. If you or a loved one were harmed in this way due to a medical error in Los Angeles, CA, contact The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel and Associates at (800) 541-9376 for a free consultation. Our Los Angeles medical malpractice lawyers are some of the most successful in the state, with billions of dollars already recovered for our deserving clients.
