A spinal epidural abscess is a rare but extremely dangerous infection that can cause permanent nerve damage, paralysis, or even death if not diagnosed and treated in time. In many cases, this condition develops or worsens because of medical negligence.
If an epidural abscess was caused by medical negligence, and you were the victim, you may be entitled to compensation. A Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyer can help you file a claim and seek justice.
What to Do If an Epidural Abscess Is Caused by a Medical Mistake
If you suspect that an epidural abscess was caused or worsened by a healthcare provider’s error, it’s important to act fast. Specifically, you should:
- Seek emergency medical care: Get immediate treatment from a different medical provider or facility. A spinal abscess can progress quickly, so every minute matters.
- Request your medical records: Obtain copies of all test results, MRI scans, lab reports, and doctor notes. These documents will be crucial to proving negligence.
- Avoid discussing the case with hospital staff or insurers: Hospitals and insurance companies often try to minimize liability. It’s best not to sign or say anything without legal advice.
- Consult a medical malpractice lawyer: Our attorneys can review your records, determine whether malpractice occurred, and help you pursue a fair settlement.
How Can a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Help?
Medical malpractice cases require experienced representation. If you’ve been injured due to an epidural abscess caused by a mistake, a lawyer from Anidjar & Levine can:
- Investigate the incident: Our lawyers will work with medical experts to identify whether the infection was preventable and if your provider’s conduct fell below accepted standards of care.
- Gather and preserve evidence: We will collect key records, witness statements, and expert testimony to build a strong case.
- Handle all communication with insurers and hospitals: We can handle these conversations to prevent you from being pressured into accepting a lowball settlement.
- Negotiate or litigate on your behalf: If settlement talks fail, we can take your case to court to pursue full compensation for your losses.
Hospitals and insurance companies often deny fault or attempt to blame the patient. A skilled malpractice lawyer can fight back and ensure your case is supported by strong evidence.
What Types of Compensation Can I Recover?
If your epidural abscess resulted from a medical mistake, you may be entitled to significant compensation. The damages you can pursue typically include:
- Medical expenses: You can recover the cost of hospital stays, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, and future medical care.
- Lost wages: You can seek payment for the income you lost while recovering or unable to work due to disability.
- Loss of earning capacity: You can be compensated if your injury prevents you from returning to your previous occupation.
- Pain and suffering: You can pursue damages for the severe physical pain, emotional trauma, and lifestyle limitations caused by the abscess.
- Loss of consortium: You can recover compensation for the loss of companionship, intimacy, or support in your marriage or family life.
Our malpractice lawyers can analyze your case and consult experts to ensure no losses are overlooked.
How Do I Prove Liability?
To succeed in a medical malpractice claim, your lawyer must prove that a healthcare provider’s negligence directly caused your injury. This typically involves establishing four elements:
- Duty of care: You must show that the doctor, nurse, or hospital owed you a professional duty to provide safe and competent medical care.
- Breach of duty: Your attorney must demonstrate that the provider failed to meet accepted medical standards, such as by missing symptoms or delaying treatment.
- Causation: You need to prove that this failure directly caused or worsened your epidural abscess and subsequent harm.
- Damages: You must show that the negligence resulted in measurable losses, such as medical bills, disability, or pain and suffering.
These cases often hinge on expert testimony. Medical specialists can review your records and explain how your care deviated from what a reasonably competent provider would have done in similar circumstances.
How Does Medical Negligence Lead to an Epidural Abscess?
A spinal epidural abscess can form when bacteria enter the space around the spinal cord, often through the bloodstream, a medical injection, or surgery. Negligence can occur at multiple points in the process.
Common examples include:
- Failure to diagnose: Physicians may ignore or misinterpret early signs such as fever, back pain, or neurological weakness, allowing the infection to spread.
- Improper sterilization: Unsanitary needles, surgical tools, or injection procedures can introduce harmful bacteria into the spine.
- Delayed treatment: Even a few hours’ delay in starting antibiotics or surgery can result in irreversible nerve damage or paralysis.
- Negligent post–operative care: Doctors or nurses may fail to monitor for infection after spinal surgery, missing the warning signs of an abscess.
When healthcare providers overlook clear symptoms or fail to follow infection control protocols, their actions can have devastating and permanent consequences.
What Is a Spinal Epidural Abscess and What Are the Symptoms?
A spinal epidural abscess is a pocket of pus that forms in the space between the bones of the spine and the protective covering of the spinal cord.
If left untreated, the infection can compress the spinal cord and lead to paralysis or death. Common symptoms include:
- Severe back pain that worsens over time
- Fever, chills, or general malaise
- Weakness, numbness, or tingling in the limbs
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Difficulty walking or standing
Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today
If you or someone you love suffered complications from a spinal epidural abscess due to a medical mistake, you have the right to take legal action. A medical malpractice attorney from Anidjar & Levine can help you hold the negligent providers accountable.
Schedule a free consultation to find out how you can get compensation for your injury.
We Can Help.
