$600,000 Settlement for Improperly Placed Spinal Fusion Screws

Blume Donnelly partner Michael B. Zerres recently obtained a $600,000 recovery on behalf of a 52-year-old client who underwent spinal fusion surgery for a work-related lower back injury. The surgery involved the use of pedicle screws, which had been improperly placed by the neurosurgeon who performed the surgery. As a result, the fusion failed, and the client went on to develop a condition known as ” pseudoarthrosis .” While no additional surgery has been performed, this condition has caused him to suffer ongoing back pain, and has prevented him from returning to work full-time as a laborer for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.