Paralyzed Woman gets $10.6 Million for Error

Malpractice award is county's third-largest

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 3:15 AM

By Bruce Cadwallader
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

With one tap from a surgeon's hammer, a healthy Grove City mother of two was paralyzed in 2005.

Today, doctors say, 56-year-old Elizabeth Barnish has no hope of a full recovery.

She uses a wheelchair, unable to move from the chest down. Although she can raise her arms, her hands are permanently clenched in fists.

For surgery gone terribly wrong, a jury awarded Barnish and her husband, Stephen, $10.6 million on March 27. The award was the third-highest for medical malpractice in Franklin County, says attorney Stephen Chappelear, who has made a study of civil cases for the Columbus Bar Association.

Mrs. Barnish complained of pain in her right arm and was told by Dr. Carolyn Neltner that cervical spinal surgery would ease the pain from a pinched nerve in her neck, said her attorney, Brian Eisen of Cleveland.

"Before the surgery, Libby's main symptom was pain in her right arm," Eisen said. "Steve and Libby were very active, spontaneous people. They enjoyed traveling, scuba diving, hiking and doing home-remodeling projects. She was a 20-year employee at State Auto."

Read the full article from The Columbus Dispatch

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