JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. – A Jefferson County jury has awarded $5 million to a Sylacauga native in a verdict against the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, the private corporation that employs UAB Hospital providers.
According to the complaint, filed in January 2018, Anna Comer suffered a catastrophic brain injury after being hospitalized at UAB in 2016 for liver failure. The filing stated that improper sodium monitoring and inadequate water intake over multiple days led to a rare condition called “locked-in syndrome.”
That condition left Comer fully conscious but completely paralyzed except for eye movement She emerged from locked-in syndrome after two months and underwent extensive inpatient rehabilitation to relearn basic functions including walking, talking and other daily activities. While her legal team described her partial recovery as as “miraculous,” Comer continues to experience permanent issues.
Attorneys Rip Andrews and Derrick Mills of Birmingham firm Marsh, Rickard & Bryan represented Comer during the 10-day trial.
