PA Woman Paralyzed After Flu Shot Wins $11.6M Lawsuit

A Pennsylvania woman has won an $11.6 million lawsuit after a flu shot left her paralyzed.

According to media reports, Sarah Behie of Lehigh County received a flu shot in 2010 and shortly after developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, according to the National Institutes of Health. 

Behie, who was 20 when she received the shot at Lehigh Valley Hospital where she worked, is now in a rehabilitation facility and is expected to require long-term medical care. 

The disease, for which there is no cure, causes varying levels of paralysis. It is rare, affecting one person out of 100,000, according to data from the National Institutes of Health. In rare instances, the disease can be caused by vaccines.

Behie began noticing symptoms of the disease about three weeks after receiving the flu shot, according to the Allentown Morning Call.

Through therapy, she has regained the use of her arms, but cannot walk, PA Law Blogs reports.

Behie’s attorneys, Lawrence Cohan and David Carney of Anapol Schwartz in Philadelphia, negotiated the settlement, which will be paid by the tax-funded National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Allentown Morning Call reported.