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Paraplegia quadriplegia

Medical Information Provided By: Dr. Krista Kurtyan, M.D.
Legal Information Provided By: Hartley Hampton, J.D. and Christopher King, J.D.

Inadvertent Quadriplegia or Paraplegia

Below, our Houston paraplegia and quadriplegia attorneys discuss the costs and causes of spinal cord injuries due to medical malpractice. Learn how your injuries are going to affect the rest of your life.

Experts believe that up to 5% of spinal cord injuries are caused by medical or surgical factors. With over 200,000 people in the U.S. suffering from paraplegia or quadriplegia, that’s up to 4,000 people wrongfully suffering from a permanent disability that could have been prevented. Doctors are legally and ethically responsible for ensuring the safety and health of their patients—when they make mistakes, patients pay a steep, steep cost.

Medical malpractice can cause paralysis as a result of:

Around 52% of permanent paralysis cases result in paraplegia, while 47% result in quadriplegia (which is categorized into two groups: high quadriplegia and low quadriplegia). Paraplegia and quadriplegia can also be “complete” (total loss of sensation and movement) and “incomplete” (partial sensation available). Among all cases, up to 48% of people that suffered spinal cord injuries were uninsured.

The Lifetime Costs of Living with Paraplegia & Quadriplegia

The costs of paraplegia and quadriplegia are steep: experts estimate that the first year of living with paralysis can cost up to $518,000+ for those with paraplegia, and up to $1.06 million for patients with quadriplegia. Coupled with these staggering medical costs is the reality of unemployment—the total employment rate among paralysis patients drops from 57% at the time of injury to 11.8% a year after injury.

The lifetime costs of living with paraplegia or quadriplegia can reach up to several million dollars.

There’s obviously an emotional cost to these injuries as well. The financial stress as well as the social burden that the injured have to bear often leaves them isolated. Isolation has a real economic impact as well—strong social support can help reduce the costs of assistance. Single people who have developed paraplegia or quadriplegia have a reduced chance of ever being married, while married patients with permanent spinal cord injuries have a slightly higher chance of getting divorced.

Our Houston Medical Malpractice Attorneys Offer Hope

We’re not reporting these facts for the sake of scaring our readers. If anything, these facts and figures illustrate the importance of medical malpractice cases. Every loss and cost incurred by malpractice has decades-long ramifications for people with disabilities—hospitals have an ethical obligation to compensate them for the losses they’re facing.

It’s not enough to apologize. It’s not enough to offer “sympathy.” We’ve represented the injured for over 50 years, and they can’t pay for rehabilitation, therapy, ADA-compliant accommodations, or even a good wheelchair with sympathy. They need the financial support to make up for their loss of earning power, their new lifetime needs, and the new stresses and burdens of their life.

Hampton & King is one of the only law firms in Texas and New Mexico to focus solely on malpractice claims. Our Houston medical malpractice lawyers have won millions for patients through the Southwest, developing cases that win in court thanks to our licensed full-time medical professionals on staff.

Call (713) 489-0993 for a Free Case Consultation

Everything begins with a free case consultation. There’s a real possibility that your paraplegia or quadriplegia was caused by your doctor or hospital’s negligence. The only way to know for sure is to have another doctor hear your case. That’s what we can do at Hampton & King; each of our callers’ stories are reviewed by a licensed doctor and Ph.D. nurse in order to tell you what happened in your case.

Get the answers to the questions you’ve been asking yourself—call our Houston medical malpractice lawyers today. Hampton & King is eager to hear your story and help you figure out your next step.

Call 713.489.0993 for your free case consultation.
Let us get you answers and review your options today.