A medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed, accusing a neurosurgeon and her practice of negligence leading to severe injuries. On January 31, 2025, Ronnie and Sharon Blankenship filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, against Dr. Carrie Lee Shulman and her practice, The Florida Center for Neurosurgery.

The plaintiffs allege that Dr. Shulman failed to provide adequate care during a series of spinal surgeries performed on Ronnie Blankenship. According to the complaint, Dr. Shulman initially evaluated Mr. Blankenship on March 1, 2023, recommending a complex three-level lumbar fusion surgery due to his unique spinal anatomy with an extra vertebra. Despite undergoing surgery on May 9, 2023, at HCA Florida Largo Hospital and subsequent follow-ups indicating stable alignment and hardware placement, Mr. Blankenship continued to experience significant pain and complications.

The lawsuit claims that Dr. Shulman’s negligence included failing to properly assess Mr. Blankenship’s risk for pseudoarthrosis—a condition where bones do not properly fuse—especially given his smoking history which increases such risks. The complaint further alleges that Dr. Shulman did not consider alternative treatments like decompressive surgery without fusion or adequately interpret post-operative imaging that showed signs of hardware failure.

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