What This Diagnosis Means for Your Family
Locked-in syndrome (LIS) happens when a stroke or other brain injury damages the brainstem in a very specific way: it shuts down nearly every voluntary muscle in the body, including the ability to speak, while leaving cognition and awareness fully intact. Most people with LIS can still hear, think, recognize loved ones, and form new memories. They simply have no reliable way to show it, beyond perhaps blinking or small eye movements. It’s one of the cruelest outcomes in neurology, precisely because the person trapped inside it is still fully present.
What follows isn’t months of recovery; it’s decades of care. Someone with locked-in syndrome typically needs round-the-clock skilled nursing, ventilator or tracheostomy management, feeding tube support, physical and respiratory therapy, specialized communication equipment, and a home or facility that can manage all of it at once. None of that is optional, and almost none of it is affordable on an ordinary family budget.
| Type of Care | Estimated Cost in Maryland |
| Private duty nurse (hourly rate) | $85/hour |
| Private duty nurse (visit rate) | $150/visit |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (semi-private room) | $155,125/year |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (private room) | $173,375/year |
Source: Genworth
These numbers don’t exist in a vacuum. Maryland’s overall cost of living runs roughly 21 points above the national average, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s most recent index. This means a family here is funding a lifetime of expensive care against an already-expensive backdrop.
What We Can Do for Maryland Families Facing This
We didn’t build this practice to process cases. We built it to walk alongside families through one of the worst things that can happen to them.
When a stroke is missed, mishandled, or misread, the people who absorb that mistake aren’t just the patient. It’s the spouse who may become a full-time caregiver overnight. It’s the children who watch a parent’s world narrow down to a hospital bed. It’s an entire family that has to rebuild its financial future around a diagnosis nobody saw coming.
A successful claim can’t undo what happened. But it can change what comes next. Depending on the facts of the case, compensation may cover:
- Lifelong medical care and equipment
- Lost income and earning capacity
- Home modifications
- Pain, loss, and disruption your family has lived through
For many of the families we work with, the difference this makes is the difference between care in a setting that actually meets their loved one’s needs, and care that’s simply whatever happens to be affordable or available.
You work directly with the attorneys handling your case, not a revolving cast of case managers. We bring in independent medical experts to review the record line by line. And we stay close to your family throughout, because we understand this isn’t a “case” to you. It’s your family.
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.
Was This Preventable? Looking Honestly at the Diagnosis
Not every difficult outcome is the result of malpractice. Strokes are unpredictable, and even excellent, attentive care doesn’t always lead to a good result. We say that upfront because we think families deserve honesty, not a sales pitch, and because we won’t pursue a case that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
That said, locked-in syndrome sometimes follows a chain of decisions that, looked at honestly, reveal missed opportunities:
- A stroke that wasn’t recognized quickly enough
- A transfer to a better-equipped hospital that took too long or wasn’t ordered at all
- A discharge that happened before it should have
- A failure to diagnose
- Signs of consciousness that went unnoticed for too long
Our Maryland stroke misdiagnosis lawyers can help determine how your loved one’s LIS occurred.
When Transfers Aren’t Performed Promptly
Stroke treatment is famously time-sensitive. When a hospital can’t provide advanced stroke treatment on-site, a patient needs to be transferred to one that can. How quickly that transfer happens (a metric known as “door-in-door-out” time) can be the difference between a clot being removed in time and permanent, irreversible damage.
National guidelines call for that transfer process to take no more than 120 minutes, but preferably less than 90 minutes. According to JAMA, Maryland’s door-in-door-out times surpass the guidelines for both acute ischemic stroke eligible for endovascular therapy (146 to 209 minutes) and other acute ischemic stroke (259 to 338 minutes).
The stakes are only growing here. Maryland has seen one of the steepest rises in ischemic stroke deaths in the country over the past decade and a half. According to Stroke, Maryland mortality data shows a 61% increase between 2009 and 2023, among the largest jumps of any state. The reasons behind that trend are complex, but it underscores just how much fast, accurate stroke care matters for families across the state.
When Locked-In Syndrome Is Mistaken for Something Else
One of the most painful possibilities for families is that their loved one was not diagnosed with locked-in syndrome quickly enough, and that the medical team assumed they were in a coma or a persistent vegetative state, when in fact they were conscious and aware the entire time.
Telling the two apart takes deliberate, patient examination: checking for voluntary eye movement, blinking on command, and other small but meaningful signs of awareness that a rushed bedside evaluation can miss. It’s not unusual for a family member or someone who has spent hours sitting beside the bed, watching closely, to notice these signs before a clinical team does.
If you believe your loved one’s diagnosis was delayed, dismissed, or simply wrong, that’s exactly the kind of question a free case review is built to answer.
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We’re here to answer your questions and help you understand your options.
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How We Dig Into What Actually Happened
Before we file anything, we listen. We want to understand your loved one’s story, not just the entries in their chart.
From there, we retrieve and review the complete medical record and bring in independent physicians who can tell us, plainly, whether the care your loved one received met the standard a reasonably careful provider should have met. If it did, we’ll tell you that directly. We have no interest in manufacturing a case that isn’t really there.
What we are interested in is handling complicated, high-stakes cases like this one thoroughly. A locked-in syndrome case requires us to understand not just what went wrong medically, but what your family will genuinely need for decades to come; we build every case around that full picture, not just the easiest argument to make.
It Costs Nothing to Talk to Us
We know money is probably the last thing you want to think about right now, which is exactly why we’ve structured things so it doesn’t have to be a barrier.
There’s no charge for an initial consultation and no upfront fee to retain our firm. Our locked-in syndrome attorneys only get paid if we recover compensation for your family, which means our incentives are aligned with yours from the very first conversation. Take whatever time you need to decide what’s right for your family, and remember, reaching out doesn’t commit you to anything at all.
Let’s Talk, Whenever You’re Ready
If you’re not sure whether what happened to your loved one involved negligence, that uncertainty is completely normal, and it’s exactly what a free, confidential consultation is for. We’re not going anywhere. When you’re ready, the Newsome Law team will listen, investigate, walk you through what we see in the record, and help you understand what options your family has.
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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