Bradley Z. Schulman & David Gallagher – Motherway & Napleton, LLP
$3.8M Verdict: Medical Illustrations and Colorized Films Prove Liability
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Medical Malpractice
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Personal Injury
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Case Study
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A woman woke up from a spinal fusion surgery in excruciating pain due to the doctor improperly inserting a screw in her L4 nerve root. She underwent an additional surgery to remove the screw, but no supports were put in place for stability. This resulted in a right foot drop and severe pain. The defendant denied liability, despite having performed the surgery that gave rise to her injuries. This is when Bradley Schulman and David Gallagher from Motherway & Napleton, LLP came to High Impact to create a presentation with medical illustrations and a timeline to prove that her injuries were directly caused by the surgeries the doctor performed. Leveraging those visual aids, they were able to secure a $3.8M verdict.
Challenge
The plaintiff was experiencing pain due to a L5-S1 radiculopathy and received surgery to remedy the pain. However, her surgery did not alleviate the pain and her condition in fact worsened as a result of the doctor improperly placing a screw in the right L4 nerve root. To correct the mistake, the doctor removed the screw, but did not replace it with stabilizers or supports. This led to the right foot drop, indicating neurological damage. Despite performing a botched surgery, the defense argued that the doctors acted within the standard of care and blamed her pain on a previous spine injury. To counter this claim, Mr. Schulman and Mr. Gallagher enlisted High Impact to create a presentation that detailed all of her surgeries and how the doctor’s actions led to her injuries.
Timeline of Events
Approach
The presentation included multiple visuals to support the attorneys’ argument, including a timeline, medical illustrations, and colorized films. The objectives were to:
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Detail an exhaustive list of all the surgeries that lead to the plaintiff’s injuries.
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Provide a presentation that a jury with no medical knowledge could understand.
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Prove that the right foot drop was a result of the spinal fusion performed by the doctor.
Medical Illustration | Botched Surgery Causes Right Foot Drop
Medical Illustration | L4 Screw Breaches Right L4 Vertebra
Result
Our presentation supported Mr. Schulman and Mr. Gallagher’s expert argument and resulted in a $3.8M verdict in favor of their client. The plaintiff was able to pay off her medical bills and support herself, as she is she is unable to work due to the permanent injuries she sustained.
Colorized MRI | Results From Surgery
“High Impact's ability to detail the imaging and call out the vital parts of the imaging was vital to the success of the case. I believe that the timeline and visual enhancements that High Impact made were vital the the success of the case.”
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