InjuriesComplex Regional Pain Syndrome Lawyer Recovers $1,000,000 For Client

The condition is known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and also as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Complex regional pain syndrome occurs when a person’s sympathetic nervous system still believes that a body part is injured after that injury has resolved. CRPS or RSD causes intense sensitivity and pain. George Patterson obtained a $1,000,000 recovery for a CRPS client whose claim had been denied by an insurance company. The insurance adjuster thought the incident that caused the injury was too insignificant to have led to her disability. CRPS contradicts our expectations and experiences with injuries. Insurance adjusters, jurors and judges have these same expectations and experiences. CRPS cases require an attorney with a deep understanding of the condition to overcome these obstacles.

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is difficult to treat, extremely painful and not subject to a diagnosis that can be easily verified through an objective test. Each of these factors make RSD or CRPS cases extremely difficult to resolve with insurance adjusters. Insurance adjusters are trained to focus on objectively verifiable injuries like herniated discs, broken bones, bruises and torn ligaments. They tend to compensate complaints of pain that are backed up by injuries that are objectively verifiable and they often dismiss or minimize subjective complaints of pain without corroboration from x-rays, MRIs or visible injury. Insurance adjusters are also inclined to deny compensation for medical treatment that persists after most people with soft tissue injuries recover. It is critical to retain the services of a personal injury lawyer that has litigated complex regional pain syndrome cases to fight against skeptical treatment by insurance adjusters. Lawyers work with evidence and the evidence of complex regional pain syndrome is often missed by doctors and poorly documented.

In one Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) case, lawyer George Patterson obtained a resolution of the case in the Federal Court located in Greenbelt, Maryland for $587,500. George Patterson’s client with RSD had incurred less than $20,000 in medical bills but was left with constant pain. The complex regional pain syndrome occurred after the Shady Side resident injured his hand in a truck accident that occurred in Prince George’s County. The defense questioned the seriousness and existence of the disorder but was persuaded by an internationally renowned expert on RSD and CRPS hired by personal injury lawyer George Patterson.

Complex regional pain syndrome is very difficult to treat and resolve. Such conditions are frustrating to patients and their doctors. Conventional treatments for the underlying injuries that lead to the condition are ineffective and painful for the patient to endure. Some of the associated symptoms such as hair loss, a limb occasional developing a blue tint, changes in the growth of finger nails, differing temperature in one limb, and spreading of the condition to other limbs may not initially be recognized by doctors as indications of CRPS. Notations of such objective findings are often given little weight by insurance adjusters. Insurance companies will demand increasing levels of objective evidence of an injury the longer it takes a car accident victim to recover. Complex regional pain syndrome victims often deal with complaints of intense pain that persist for years. CRPS is an unusual injury because it generates debilitating pain with minimal objective signs of injury. It is difficult for lawyers to prove that a person who looks fine is seriously injured.

RSD or CRPS cases require skilled expert witnesses because the injury claims are often not supported by clear medical evidence like a fracture shown on an x-ray or a herniated disc visible on an MRI. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy cases are vulnerable to attacks by doctors hired by insurance companies because the symptoms typically do not fully appear until weeks or months after a car accident. This delay makes it easier for experts to suggest other causes for the condition than an injury from a car accident. Complex regional pain syndrome also cannot be verified by a diagnostic test like an MRI or nerve conduction study. This makes it easy for doctors hired by insurance companies to suggest that the complaints should not be believed because the person is seeking compensation.

Maryland complex regional pain syndrome lawyer, George Patterson recently obtained a policy limits offer on behalf of a client that had two prior car accident lawyers that failed to obtain any offers for the client. This is not uncommon because complex regional pain syndrome requires significant knowledge about the condition to properly present the claim to an insurance company or to a jury. If you have been diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome or reflex sympathetic dystrophy from a car accident or truck accident please contact lawyer George Patterson for a free consultation.