New York Jury Awards $10.7M to Woman Forced to Wait for Brain Scan

A jury has awarded nearly $11 million to a woman who became partially paralyzed after waiting two hours for a hospital brain scan.

Jurors found New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens was negligent in caring for Candida Diego after she fractured her skull in a fall in September 2004.

A spokeswoman says the hospital doesn’t believe it is liable for the 71-year-old’s condition and is appealing the Oct. 3 decision awarding her $10.7 million.

Court documents say Diego was cleared for a brain scan two hours before she got one. The test was intended to check for bleeding.

Court papers say Diego lapsed into a coma in the emergency room less than an hour after the scan. She now has no movement in her left side and uses a wheelchair.