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Medical malpractice lawsuit follows wrong body part removal

It is difficult enough for a patient in Illinois or anywhere else in the world to prepare for surgery without having to consider the possibility of an egregious doctor mistake causing further illness, injury or death. Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently and, in some situations, the doctors or hospitals will not own up to what happened. Those who are subjected to a surgical error need to be aware of their rights to seek compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit.

A woman who had two surgeries performed on her during the same day recently filed a lawsuit. The woman, age 60, had been admitted to the hospital to have a lesion removed from one her ribs. There was concern that it was cancerous, and it was causing her pain. The attending doctor and his trainee – a recent graduate from a medical residency program – were in charge of the procedure. The trainee was there without the patient’s knowledge. The correct location on the woman’s body was marked with metal coils to detail where the procedure was supposed to be performed. However, the surgeons removed the wrong rib from her body.

When she woke up, she was in pain throughout the night. An x-ray was taken and it was found that the metal markers were still there and the wrong rib was removed. The trainee doctor is accused of claiming that an insufficient amount of the woman’s rib was removed and that they had to go back and complete the procedure. The woman alleges that she was lied to about the reason for the repeat of the procedure and has filed a claim to be compensated due to the mistake.

A patient who is undergoing surgery can become a victim of a surgeon’s error. This can cause significant damage to the person’s life and even result in death. Those who have been harmed or had a loved one injured or killed due to a negligent surgeon need to understand their legal rights. Speaking to an attorney about litigation can provide information as to how to move forward with a case.

Source: ctpost.com, “Suit alleges surgeon removed wrong body part, lied about it,” Frank Juliano, March 18, 2016

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