BRIDGEPORT--A jury awarded a Bridgeport woman $4.25 million in a medical malpractice suit stemming from injuries suffered during an epidural.
The Superior Court Jury in Bridgeport ruled that Erika Andrade, now 35, should be awarded the money due to permanent spinal cord injuries she sustained in the summer of 2009 when an anesthesiologist "negligently utilized an anesthesia needle" when attempting to give an epidural to Andrade as she was in labor with her third child. The case was against Dr. William J. Gacso and his practice, Medical Anesthesiology Associates, PC, of Shelton.
The needle for the epidural hit her terminal spinal cord, which resulted in a cystic lesion that “has been permanently deprived of her ability to carry on and enjoy life’s activities.”
“I went to have my baby and I didn’t expect my life to be changed so drastically,” Andrade told Fox CT in a sit down interview just hours after the verdict was read.
The lawsuit claims that Gacso did not properly administer the epidural because he was overworked and should not have been performing the procedure.
“Dr. Gasco had just concluded a 24-hour shift when Erika needed anesthesia, an epidural, while she was delivering her third child,” said Andrade's attorney, Sean McElligott, of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. “He inserted the needle into the wrong part of her back causing the permanent, painful result.”
The six-member jury spend two and a half days deliberating on the case, which went to trial on April 7. They decided that Andrade now suffers chronic pain, has permanent leg damage and other related injuries that may result in permanent paralysis, and that she will have medical costs to pay for for months or years to come.
“The money can help a little bit, but it will not bring back the way my life used to be before,” Andrade said.
Another lawyer from the firm representing Andrade, David Bernard, added, “Anyone working steadily for 24 hours, without sleep, cannot possibly provide peak performance. A doctor going without sleep for 24 hours should know that accidents are more likely to occur. In this case, it is clear that Dr. Gacso should never have attempted the epidural on Erika. He should have known to call in a substitute anesthesiologist.”
