Paralyzed woman gets $1.5 million

County supervisors approved a $1.5-million settlement Tuesday for a woman who was paralyzed during back surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.

Shanay Bridges, 25, of Los Angeles, underwent surgery three weeks after a 2005 car accident and was not sufficiently advised of the paralysis risk, according to one of her attorneys, Richard Wood.

Bridges, a mother of three, was studying to be a nurse but, since becoming a paraplegic, has abandoned her studies. She now requires the help of an aide to accomplish some everyday tasks, Wood said.

“It’s one of those really tragic situations where you have this up-and-coming woman who was going to make something of herself and suddenly you have a devastating injury,” Wood said.

As a result of the case, a county report said that consent forms throughout the Department of Health Services are being revised to ensure that patients are properly advised of the risk of paralysis.

-- Garrett Therolf