Cauda equina syndrome is a painful condition for anyone to suffer from.
The condition gets its name from the latin word for horsetail. The cauda equina are a group of nerves located at the base of our spine.
When you have cauda equina syndrome, these nerves become inflamed. This can bring a host of other problems, not the least of which is severe back pain.
Cauda equina syndrome can develop naturally, but it often develops after medical procedures.
Medical providers can inadvertently cause the development of cauda equina syndrome by making any number of different mistakes in medical operations.
Unfortunately, this is something that happens quite often.
If you have cauda equina syndrome that you believe is linked to a medical provider’s negligence or mistake, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim.
At Poulos & Coates, LLP, our job is to make medical mistakes right by helping our clients file medical malpractice claims.
Our team put together this piece to explain these topics in brief, but if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
What Elements Are Necessary in Cauda Equina Claims?
Like all legal claims, successful cauda equina claims must meet certain criteria. In general, the criteria for a medical malpractice claim is otherwise similar to the general criteria for any other civil claim based on negligence. Notably, medical malpractice claims require a showing of negligence on the part of a medical professional.
Successful negligence claims must show four different elements to succeed. They are:
- The existence of a duty of care between one party and another;
- A breach of that duty of care;
- Real damages; and
- A causal link between the damages in question and the breach of the duty in question.
A duty of care is something that we owe to others around us in certain situations. For example, while driving a car, you owe a duty of care toward other drivers and pedestrians to avoid driving erratically or dangerously. When you cause an accident, you violate that duty.
The Importance and Difficulty Surrounding Medical Professionals’ Breach of Their Duty of Care
Medical professionals all owe a special duty of care to their patients. Establishing a breach of that duty of care may be the most crucial element in medical malpractice claims.
To prove it, you need to show that a medical professional failed to meet the proper medical standard of care. If you aren’t a medical professional yourself, how do you know what the standard of care is? Furthermore, how are you supposed to prove that it wasn’t met?
Expert Medical Witnesses and Medical Malpractice
The answer, generally, is with the help of expert medical witnesses. Expert medical witnesses can include doctors, researchers, and other medical professionals.
They look at all the available information to determine whether a given medical professional violated their standard of medical care. Then they submit their findings. More often than not, both parties have their own expert medical witnesses in medical malpractice claims.
As a result, going into your claim without an expert medical witness is not advisable. At Poulos & Coates, LLP, we have established relationships with expert medical witnesses in just about any medical field you can think of.
That includes cauda equina syndrome. We can help you find the cauda equina expert medical witness testimony you need for a successful claim.
Cauda Equina Syndrome Malpractice Compensation Amounts
Like most other civil claims, cauda equina syndrome malpractice compensation amounts differ significantly from case to case. That’s because every different medical malpractice event itself is different.
The same goes for the related injuries and damages: no two cases are exactly the same, so we can’t give you any sort of average cauda equina syndrome settlement amount.
With that said, we will always work closely with you to determine how much your specific claim is worth.
Call Poulos & Coates to Get the Cauda Equina Compensation You Deserve
If you are suffering from cauda equina syndrome due to medical malpractice, there is no reason you should have to bear the costs yourself. It wasn’t your mistake that got you here, so it isn’t right for you to have to pay for it.
Medical malpractice claims are a unique, nuanced area of civil law. As a result, not all attorneys have the training and experience necessary to file a successful medical malpractice claim. Fortunately, that is not the case at Poulos & Coates, LLP.
At Poulos & Coates, LLP, we focus on medical malpractice specifically. That way, we know that we are giving our clients the best service possible. If you want to learn more about what our prior clients have to say about our services, just check out our case results and testimonials pages.
Our record speaks for itself. When you’re ready to dive into your claim, give us a call for a consultation; just don’t wait too long.