In Kathleen J. Bashore v. Sparrow Health System, the jury on Nov. 6 awarded $17 million after finding that missteps by medical providers at Lansing, Michigan’s Sparrow Hospital during and after a routine procedure caused the plaintiff complications that left her paraplegic and necessitated amputation of her left leg.
Plaintiff’s counsel Chad D. Engelhardt of Goethel Engelhardt PLLC in Ann Arbor claimed surgical sheaths placed in her legs as part of the procedure were left in too long, causing a blood clot.
Cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Ara Pridjian was called to the scene but instead of operating right away to remove the clot, he delayed treatment and then over-inflated angioplasty balloons and stents, according to plaintiff’s counsel.
This caused internal bleeding and poor blood flow to the plaintiff’s legs and spine, leading to gangrene and paralysis, Engelhardt said.
