$6.88 Million Jury Verdict for Incomplete Quadriplegia Caused by Misuse of Hoyer Lift

William Glynn Jr., 66, suffered an injury to his cervical spine in a car accident. He had limited use of his extremities following that incident. He underwent cervical spinal surgery at North Fulton Hospital and was gaining strength and showing signs of improvement.

However, three days after that surgery, hospital nurses tried to move Glynn from a reclining chair to his bed. They placed Glynn in a sling attached to a Hoyer lift, but his legs slid downward toward the floor. The hospital nurses pushed the Hoyer lift back toward the chair, which caused Glynn to strike his head against that chair.

The next day, Glynn awoke with new symptoms; a CT scan revealed a fractured-dislocation at C7 to T1. In spite of surgery about 40 hours after this incident, Glynn now suffers from incomplete quadriplegia and requires 24-hour-per-day care.

Glynn had worked in military contracting earning approximately $100,000 per year.

He and his wife sued the hospital claiming liability for its nurses’ improper use of the Hoyer lift, which caused his cervical screws to dislodge. The Glynn family also alleged that the hospital chose not to timely chart and report the incident, which led to delayed treatment for Glynn’s injuries and precluded his chance for a successful outcome due to the prolonged impingement of his spinal cord.

The jury’s verdict of more than $6.88 million included $1.25 million to Glynn’s spouse.

The attorneys successfully handling this tragic lawsuit were Charles H. McAleer, Katherine Jackson and Amer Ahmad.

At trial, the Glynn family attorneys presented experts in economics, physical medicine, nursing, life care planning, neurosurgery and biomechanics.

The defendant hospital presented a neurosurgeon as its expert.

Glynn v. North Fulton Medical Center, Inc., No. 13 EV 017577C (Ga. St. Ct. Fulton County).

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling medical negligence lawsuits, brain injury cases, birth trauma injury lawsuits, hospital negligence cases and nursing negligence lawsuits for individuals, families and loved ones who have been injured, harmed or killed by the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 40 years, in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Long Grove, Gurnee, Highland Park, Schiller Park, Schaumburg, Niles, Des Plaines, Morton Grove, Prospect Heights, Orland Park, Olympia Fields, Winfield, Naperville, New Lenox, South Holland, Palatine and Palos Hills, Ill.