Locked-In Syndrome Changes Everything
Locked-in syndrome occurs when damage to the brainstem, most often from a stroke, severs the connection between a person’s mind and their body. Cognition, hearing, and awareness typically remain intact. Voluntary movement does not, except, in many cases, for the eyes. Someone with LIS may understand every word spoken in the room and have no way to answer back, at least not without specialized communication support.
That reality reshapes a family’s future both emotionally and financially. A person with locked-in syndrome (LIS) usually needs round-the-clock skilled nursing, specialized equipment for communication and mobility, ongoing therapy, and a caregiving team trained to recognize needs that can’t be spoken aloud.
This isn’t short-term rehabilitation. It’s a lifetime of care, and North Dakota families deserve to understand what that actually costs before they’re blindsided by it.
| Type of Care | Estimated Cost in North Dakota |
| 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) | $138,335/year |
| Long-term care facility, e.g., nursing home (private room) | $147,643/year |
Source: Genworth
Multiply any of those numbers across a normal lifespan, and the scale of what’s ahead becomes clear. This is precisely why compensation in a successful LIS case is calculated around lifelong projected costs, not just the bills that have already come in.
What It’s Like to Work With Newsome Law
Families rarely come to us with legal questions already formed. They come with confusion, grief, and a hospital bill they aren’t prepared to read. Our job is to walk alongside you as both an advocate and a guide, reviewing what happened, explaining what we find in plain language, and handling the legal complexity so you can focus on your loved one.
When a case involves negligence, a settlement or verdict isn’t just about the past. It’s designed to fund what’s ahead: the nursing care, the equipment, the home modifications, lost income, and the pain and suffering your family has already endured. Done right, it’s the difference between rationing care and providing it without a second thought.
We know this time is stressful, and we want to do everything in our power to keep things as stable as possible for you. You’ll have direct access to your attorney, not a rotating cast of case managers. We stay closely involved with your family throughout, because a case like this isn’t a file to us. It’s your family’s future.
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.
Could Something Have Been Prevented?
This is the question every family in this position eventually asks, and it deserves an honest answer, not a reflexive one. Not every devastating outcome is the result of malpractice. Strokes happen, and even excellent care doesn’t guarantee a good result. But there are recognizable patterns where negligence contributes to a patient developing locked-in syndrome or being treated as unaware.
A Diagnosis That Came Too Late
Stroke treatment operates on a clock. The medications and procedures that can limit brain damage only work within a narrow window after symptoms begin, and every hour that passes without a diagnosis narrows a patient’s chances of a meaningful recovery. When symptoms are misread, downplayed, or simply not connected to a stroke in progress, that window can close before anyone realizes what’s happening. By the time the correct diagnosis is made, the damage that leads to locked-in syndrome may already be done.
Imaging That Wasn’t Ordered, or a Transfer That Didn’t Happen
Locked-in syndrome results from damage to the brainstem, which doesn’t always show up clearly on the CT scans used in a typical emergency room stroke workup. Catching it often requires a physician to recognize the specific pattern of symptoms and order more advanced imaging, or to initiate a transfer to a facility equipped to evaluate a brainstem stroke properly. When that step doesn’t happen, because the symptoms weren’t recognized as a red flag, or because the need for specialized imaging wasn’t acted on, a treatable event can be allowed to progress unchecked.
Held at a Facility That Wasn’t Equipped to Treat the Stroke
Not every hospital has the neurological specialists or equipment needed to fully treat a complex stroke. Recognizing that limitation and transferring a patient promptly is part of appropriate care. When a hospital instead keeps a patient longer than it should, whether from a delay in recognizing the need to transfer, difficulty arranging the transfer, or a reluctance to send the patient elsewhere, the additional time without advanced treatment can directly worsen the outcome.
North Dakota’s median transfer times hover around the fewer-than-120-minute guideline, according to JAMA:
- 119-125 minutes for acute ischemic stroke eligible for endovascular therapy
- 115-167 minutes for other acute ischemic stroke
Sent Home Before the Full Picture Was Clear
Some patients are discharged before the extent of a stroke, or the presence of one at all, has been fully understood. Symptoms that seem to resolve, or that are attributed to something less serious, can lead to a patient being sent home when they actually need further evaluation and treatment. A premature discharge can mean a treatable condition is left to progress somewhere far from the medical attention it needs.
When Locked-In Syndrome Looks Like a Coma
This point deserves particular attention. Locked-in syndrome is one of the most frequently misdiagnosed conditions in medicine, because from the outside, a person with LIS can look identical to someone in a coma or a persistent vegetative state.
The difference lies in careful, repeated neurological evaluation, checking specifically for voluntary eye movement, which is often the only channel of communication left. It’s not uncommon for family members, who spend far more time at the bedside than any single physician, to notice a flicker of intentional eye movement before hospital staff do. When that happens, and it isn’t acted on, a patient who is present and aware is not considered so. This failure to diagnose an aware person with LIS can have a debilitating effect on their mental health.
If any of this sounds familiar, a free legal and medical review can help you understand what actually happened during your loved one’s diagnosis and treatment, and whether the standard of care was met.
Talk To Our Legal Team Today
We’re here to answer your questions and help you understand your options.
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How We Look Into Your Loved One’s Care
We start by listening to your account of what happened, in your own words and timeline, before we ever open a medical chart. From there, we retrieve the full medical record and bring in independent physicians to evaluate the care your loved one received against the standard that should have applied.
If that review doesn’t turn up evidence of negligence, we’ll tell you plainly. We’re not interested in manufacturing a case that isn’t there. But when the evidence does point to a preventable failure, our experience with complex, catastrophic-injury cases like this one means we know how to build it and how to pursue it fully—if you choose that route.
What It Costs to Hire Us
It costs nothing upfront. We work on a contingency basis, which means:
- We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to start.
- We’re paid only if we recover compensation for your family.
- There is no pressure to decide anything before you’re ready.
Families are already carrying enough. The decision to explore a legal claim shouldn’t add financial risk on top of it.
We’re Here When You’re Ready
If you’re trying to understand what happened to your loved one, or you simply need someone to explain what your options are, a locked-in syndrome lawyer at Newsome Law is glad to talk it through. There’s no cost, no obligation, and no pressure to move faster than feels right for your family.
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!
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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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