Jury Awards $6.69 Million to Former Coney Island Hospital Employee After Hospital Failed to Diagnose Her Stroke
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- [Case Number 503251/2019] A Kings County jury has awarded $6.69 million to a woman left permanently disabled after Coney Island Hospital failed to diagnose her stroke during a 2018 emergency room visit. The verdict includes $4.01 million for past and future pain and suffering. Notably, the client had previously worked as a unit clerk at the very hospital now found liable for her injuries. She is now paralyzed on her left side, unable to walk, and dependent on round-the-clock family care — including from the son who was just 15 at the time.
Neal Bhushan, a Partner, and Rikki Dascal, an Associate, at the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP represented the family in the malpractice suit against Coney Island Hospital and New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation. The jury returned its verdict less than 90 minutes after closing arguments.
Eight years ago, the client arrived at the ER with leg weakness, calf pain, and dangerously high blood pressure — a classic early warning sign of stroke. Despite this, she never received a neurological workup and was sent home the same evening with instructions to follow up in a few days.
By the next night, her condition had deteriorated sharply. She was rushed back by ambulance with facial droop and arm weakness, and was diagnosed with an ischemic stroke on the right side of her brain — an injury that left her permanently disabled.
At trial, Bhushan and Dascal argued that any patient presenting with stroke symptoms warrants an immediate neurological exam — a simple test as basic as checking for equal grip strength or symmetrical arm movement. With expert testimony from emergency medicine and neurology specialists, they showed that such an exam would have revealed the asymmetric weakness that should have triggered a stroke code and imaging — imaging that would have caught the clot restricting blood flow to her brain before it caused irreversible damage. The jury agreed, finding the hospital liable.
As the largest municipal health system in the country, New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation has a responsibility to give every ER patient the timely, attentive care their condition demands — especially when patients are at their most vulnerable.
About Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP:
For decades, the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP has stood alongside New Yorkers harmed by medical negligence, civil rights violations, and other forms of misconduct. The firm's attorneys are known for taking complex cases to trial and securing substantial verdicts on behalf of clients whose lives have been permanently altered by preventable harm, building a track record of accountability that extends across New York State and beyond.
Neal Bhushan, a Partner, and Rikki Dascal, an Associate, at the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP represented the family in the malpractice suit against Coney Island Hospital and New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation. The jury returned its verdict less than 90 minutes after closing arguments.
Eight years ago, the client arrived at the ER with leg weakness, calf pain, and dangerously high blood pressure — a classic early warning sign of stroke. Despite this, she never received a neurological workup and was sent home the same evening with instructions to follow up in a few days.
By the next night, her condition had deteriorated sharply. She was rushed back by ambulance with facial droop and arm weakness, and was diagnosed with an ischemic stroke on the right side of her brain — an injury that left her permanently disabled.
At trial, Bhushan and Dascal argued that any patient presenting with stroke symptoms warrants an immediate neurological exam — a simple test as basic as checking for equal grip strength or symmetrical arm movement. With expert testimony from emergency medicine and neurology specialists, they showed that such an exam would have revealed the asymmetric weakness that should have triggered a stroke code and imaging — imaging that would have caught the clot restricting blood flow to her brain before it caused irreversible damage. The jury agreed, finding the hospital liable.
As the largest municipal health system in the country, New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation has a responsibility to give every ER patient the timely, attentive care their condition demands — especially when patients are at their most vulnerable.
About Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP:
For decades, the Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP has stood alongside New Yorkers harmed by medical negligence, civil rights violations, and other forms of misconduct. The firm's attorneys are known for taking complex cases to trial and securing substantial verdicts on behalf of clients whose lives have been permanently altered by preventable harm, building a track record of accountability that extends across New York State and beyond.
Sierra Romero
Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm, LLP
+1 212-869-3500
marketing@fuchsberg.com
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