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 providers at UAB Hospital.
According to a complaint filed in January 2018, Anna Comer suffered a catastrophic brain injury after being hospitalized at UAB in 2016 for liver failure. The complaint alleged that improper sodium monitoring and inadequate water intake over several days led to a rare neurological condition known as locked-in syndrome.
The condition left Comer fully conscious but completely paralyzed, except for the ability to move her eyes. She emerged from locked-in syndrome after two months and underwent extensive inpatient rehabilitation to relearn basic functions, including walking, talking, and performing daily activities.
While her legal team described her partial recovery as “miraculous,” Comer continues to experience permanent impairments.
Attorneys Rip Andrews and Derrick Mills of the Birmingham law firm Marsh, Rickard, & Bryan represented Comer during the ten-day trial.
