York County Man Awarded Record $23.87 Million in Medical Malpractice Case

James Spangler, 58, of Manchester, was recently awarded the largest published medical malpractice award in York County’s history, tripling the previous record. The case involved catastrophic injuries suffered by Spangler during a spinal surgery that went terribly wrong.

In October 2019, Spangler underwent a laminoplasty at WellSpan York Hospital to address spinal stenosis. Unfortunately, during the procedure, neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Krzeminski mistakenly inserted a screw into Spangler’s spinal cord. Despite warnings from the monitoring system, Krzeminski continued with the surgery, resulting in severe consequences for Spangler.

After waking up unable to move, Spangler was not taken for an MRI for over 10 hours. Subsequently, he had to undergo another surgery after 12 hours. The botched procedure left Spangler initially paralyzed, requiring years of therapy to regain some mobility. However, he continues to suffer from permanent disabilities that severely impact his daily life.

Prior to the incident, Spangler had worked as a mechanic for Harley Davidson for 26 years. The $23.87 million verdict was secured by Iddo Harel, a partner at Ross Feller Casey law firm in Philadelphia. The defendants in the case included WellSpan York Hospital and Dr. Krzeminski, who retired following the incident.

The trial, which lasted eight days before Judge Matthew Menges, concluded with the jury reaching a unanimous verdict in just an hour. Harel commented that the case highlighted the fact that midstate juries are willing to award substantial damages in medical malpractice cases if presented with a legitimate case.

Regarding the verdict, WellSpan Health expressed disappointment and mentioned that options for appeal are being reviewed. Nevertheless, they remain committed to providing safe and high-quality care to all patients.