A Denver jury awarded $3.1 million to a man left paralyzed after a hospital failed to diagnose and treat his spinal cord injury. Attorneys David S. Woodruff and Henry Miniter of Denver Trial Lawyers represented the plaintiff, who is now a C4 quadriplegic following the medical negligence.
Missed Diagnosis and Delayed Treatment
The patient was rushed to the ER after falling and experiencing immediate pain in his neck and shoulder, along with an inability to feel or move his legs. A CT scan showed no fracture, but the attending physician failed to order an MRI—despite clear signs of neurological damage. The man was discharged in a wheelchair that same night.
By the next day, the patient’s condition had drastically worsened. He had no movement in his legs, reduced strength in his right arm, and ongoing severe pain. An MRI taken that day revealed a massive disc herniation and spinal cord compression at the C3–C4 level. Emergency surgery followed, but the damage had become irreversible.
The Legal Case
Woodruff and Miniter argued that the failure to order an MRI and hospital discharge without proper diagnosis directly caused or worsened the plaintiff’s spinal cord injury. To convey the medical complexity to the jury, they used compelling visual animations.
One animation explained the normal functioning of the spinal cord, helping jurors understand how disruptions can affect the body. Another animation showed the spinal cord compression and compared the outcome of proper treatment versus the delayed response. The visuals demonstrated that timely surgery could have prevented permanent damage.
Jury Verdict and Impact
The jury found the hospital liable for its negligence and awarded $3.1 million in damages, including compensation for the plaintiff’s permanent paralysis and loss of bowel and bladder control.
“This case, like all medical malpractice cases, was incredibly sad because Mr. Chifalo will never fully recover what he lost,” said Woodruff. “But the jury’s award will help him recover some dignity and independence in his life completely confined to a wheelchair.”
Conclusion
This verdict underscores the catastrophic consequences of delayed diagnosis in emergency medicine and highlights how modern trial visuals can help jurors understand medical negligence. The $3.1 million award offers a measure of justice to a man whose life was permanently altered by a preventable error.
