What Actually Happens When You Call
Most families reach out with a mix of grief and confusion. They’re not always sure what they’re looking for, just that something felt wrong, and no one has explained it.
When you contact our firm, the first thing we do is listen. We want to understand what happened: what your family member experienced, what they were told at the hospital, and how things unfolded. From there, if you decide to move forward, we gather the full medical record and coordinate a review by independent medical experts who specialize in stroke care and emergency medicine.
That review takes an honest look at the care provided. It examines:
- What symptoms were present
- What was done and in what timeframe
- What the standard of care would call for under similar circumstances
It doesn’t start with a conclusion. Sometimes the review confirms that providers made reasonable decisions in difficult conditions, and that knowledge, even when painful, helps families move forward. Other times, the review identifies a meaningful departure from accepted care. Either outcome has value.
We know this time is stressful enough, so we never charge for a consultation and never pressure you to act before you’re ready.
Our Process
We guide you through every step with clear communication and compassionate support.
Free Consultation
Call us anytime to discuss your case. We listen carefully and answer all your questions with no obligation.
Medical Review
Our team conducts a thorough investigation with qualified medical experts to determine if malpractice occurred.
Legal Action
If we find evidence of negligence, we build a strong case and handle all legal aspects on your behalf.
Secure Recovery
We fight to secure the financial resources your family needs for long-term care and peace of mind.
How a Stroke Gets Missed and Why It Matters
Stroke misdiagnosis isn’t rare, and it isn’t always the result of negligence. Strokes can present in ways that genuinely resemble other, less urgent conditions, such as vertigo, inner ear problems, migraine, intoxication, and psychiatric episodes. The symptoms that everyone warns you about (sudden facial drooping, slurred speech, arm weakness) don’t always appear, especially with certain stroke types.
Brainstem and cerebellar strokes are particularly prone to misdiagnosis. They can produce dizziness, nausea, and balance problems without the hallmark signs providers are most trained to recognize. Without the right imaging, specifically an MRI rather than a CT scan, these strokes can be invisible, even to an attentive clinician.
The independent review our firm coordinates examines the care against what a reasonable, similarly trained provider would have done in the same situation. That benchmark, called the standard of care, is what the medical and legal analysis relies on. The review asks concrete questions:
- Were stroke symptoms documented?
- Was imaging ordered, and was it the right type?
- Were there any issues with imaging?
- Was neurology consulted?
- Was the patient discharged before the picture was complete?
Hawaii’s Geography Can Lead to Longer Treatment Times
Hawaii’s geography creates a care dynamic that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country. Patients on Oʻahu generally have access to comprehensive stroke care. But residents of the neighbor islands—Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island—may be hours away from a certified stroke center, with limited imaging capabilities at local hospitals and transport options that depend on air evacuation.
When a patient on a neighboring island presents with stroke symptoms, the decisions made in those first hours—whether to transfer, how quickly, to where, and whether to initiate treatment before transfer—can be the difference between meaningful recovery and permanent disability. The door-in-door-out (DIDO) time for inter-facility transfers involving stroke is a documented measure of how efficiently that handoff happens.
Hawaii’s median DIDO scores for acute ischemic stroke transfers are 126 to 131 minutes for acute ischemic stroke eligible for endovascular therapy and 259 to 338 minutes for other acute ischemic stroke, according to JAMA. These numbers matter because delays in transfer can directly affect outcome, and delays that fall outside acceptable benchmarks may be relevant to a medical negligence review.
When the Outcome Is Catastrophic
The range of outcomes from a missed stroke is wide. Some patients recover substantially with prompt treatment. Others are left with partial disabilities that reshape their daily lives. In the most severe cases, particularly after a failure to diagnose or when a stroke goes unrecognized for an extended period, patients can suffer catastrophic neurological injury, including locked-in syndrome, a condition in which a person retains consciousness and cognitive function but loses nearly all voluntary movement.
Understanding which outcome might have been avoidable, and why, is part of what the review is designed to answer. Our Hawaii locked-in syndrome attorneys can help determine what happened.
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We’re here to answer your questions and help you understand your options.
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If the Review Finds Something
Not every review leads to a legal case, and our stroke misdiagnosis attorneys don’t push families toward outcomes they’re not ready for. But when the review identifies care that fell below an acceptable standard, families deserve to understand what their options are.
A medical malpractice case built around stroke misdiagnosis examines what happened, who was responsible, and what the consequences were. Responsibility may rest with an individual physician or nurse practitioner, the emergency department as a unit, the hospital system, or multiple parties. The goal isn’t punishment; it’s securing the resources a family may need to navigate a future that now looks very different from what it did.
For a loved one left with permanent impairment, those resources can be substantial:
- Long-term nursing care
- In-home support
- Rehabilitation
- Lost income
- Modifications to the home
- The ongoing costs of living with a disability
In Hawaii, where the cost of care is the highest in the country, that financial reality is acute.
| Type of Care | Estimated Cost in Hawaii |
| Private duty nurse (hourly rate) | $65/hour |
| Private duty nurse (visit rate) | $150/visit |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (semi-private room) | $185,679/year |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (private room) | $196,735/year |
Source: Genworth
For a family managing the aftermath of a catastrophic stroke, these figures aren’t abstract. They’re the care their loved one needs that could leave the rest of the family dealing with a financial crisis. Part of what a legal case can accomplish is making sure those costs don’t fall entirely on the family.
Steps Families Can Take Now
If you’re still in the early stages—uncertain what happened, not yet sure whether you want to pursue anything—there are practical things worth doing now regardless of what you decide later:
- Preserve the medical record, including imaging discs if possible.
- Write down what you remember: the timeline of symptoms, what you were told by staff, and when discharge happened and why.
- Keep discharge paperwork and any follow-up documentation.
These materials form the foundation of a review, and having them organized makes every step that follows easier.
Why Trust Newsome Law With Your Loved One’s Case
The families who reach out to us are usually not looking for a fight. They want to understand what happened to someone they love, and they want someone in their corner who won’t rush them toward a conclusion.
Our approach starts with listening, genuinely, not as a formality. We want to learn about you, your family, and your situation. We coordinate the medical review with qualified independent experts, and we maintain direct attorney access throughout the process. Families work with attorneys, not intake staff, and the caseload stays limited enough that your case receives the attention it deserves.
We’ve handled complex stroke and catastrophic injury cases, and we understand what the medical and legal analysis requires. We also understand that this is the worst thing your family has ever dealt with, and we don’t treat it like anything less than that.
There are no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for your family.
Learn More During a Free Conversation
The free consultation isn’t a sales call. It’s a chance to tell someone what happened, ask your questions, and understand whether a medical and legal review makes sense. You don’t have to decide anything beyond that.
If you’re not ready today, that’s okay, too. When you are, Newsome Law is here.
What Our Clients Say
Real stories from families we've helped through difficult times.
5.0
Newsome Law are fantastic! They have been working on my case for the past 3+ years and I have not once had a bad experience with anyone who works there. They have worked tirelessly to help me through my accident and the medical bills that loomed overhead. I am extremely pleased and grateful to have them, fighting on my side during this period in my life.
5.0
Selecting a Law Firm in a time of tragedy , is one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. There are so many Firms out there that will chase you down , make unrealistic commitments and set unrealistic expectations. This is the last thing that is needed in such a painful and difficult time
Newsome Law Is a step above all the rest. They are not some run-of-the-mill Firm. But rather an experienced Team of established excellence and success. As one of Newsome Law’s grateful clients, they always operated in the best interest of my family. Were always available to take my call , and were compassionate to the pain and needs of my family. Newsome Law is the right Firm for you to choose.
5.0
5 Stars???!!!! These guys deserve the universe!!!!!!! They came through with every promise and were professional, diligent, smart, friendly, and understanding of the situation I was going through every step of the way. Very happy with the customer service so if that’s a thing for you, that’s another reason to go here. Honestly you will be making a mistake if you don’t go here. Rich is top tier in the US for attorneys and he definitely fought hard to get the job done here. If you want your money… GO HERE!!!!!!!
5.0
Newsome Law represented me in a very positive manner. Always professional, courteous, supportive and attentive. They were always able to keep me apprised of the status of my case. The team on my case were always easy to work with and on top of all issues. I never had to wonder where we were at in the process. I would recommend them to anyone needing this type of help in the future.
5.0
Just an amazing experience with the Newsome Law firm. Our case was very sensitive and close to our hearts. We were treated with the utmost respect for our situation and everything was handled in a professional and timely manner. We cannot say enough good things about the entire team!
5.0
I am so pleased to have worked with this firm. The attention to detail, time spent one on one, not feeling like I was just a number and someone truly caring about what was going on with me and my case was more than I could have ever hoped for. I will use this firm again if I ever need one and will recommend to everyone who asks to reach out to Newsome Law if they find they ever need someone to represent them. More than pleased and happy with everyone and everything from the office. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
5.0
I am so pleased to have worked with this firm. They went above and beyond for my sons case. I would highly recommend this firm to anyone. Always communicated with us, always answered all our questions and fought for my sons case to get the best. Newsome Law thank so much again for all you did. God Bless!
5.0
Partnered with this law firm under unfortunate circumstances and ended up being a great success. They understood the mission and intent, and collectively, conducted all of the behind the scenes work, resulting in a successful end result. If you want one of the best, here’s your opportunity and highly recommended.
5.0
When you’re in a hospital bed all jacked up from an accident and you google best personal injury attorneys, this is who you will find, and they are. Never had been in a lawsuit before and had never needed an attorney. They took such amazing care of me, and handled everything so professionally. A great team of paralegals and attorneys. Thank you so much guys.
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