GRAND RAPIDS -- A Kent County jury has ordered a West Michigan pain clinic and one if its former doctors to pay $6 million to a woman who became paralyzed after a treatment.

Jurors sided with Betty Geldersma's contention that the doctor was negligent for failing to swab her neck with disinfectant before giving her pain shots.

Geldersma developed an infection in her spine canal that resulted in losing use of her legs and most function of her arms and hands, said her lawyer, Grand Rapids attorney Brad Glazier.

"Medical negligence cases are always very difficult because juries don't want to second-guess a doctor. But we thought this was a case of strong liability and large damages," Glazier said. "This type of infection is not something that happens unless there has been a failure to swab the area."

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