Extreme surgical error results in diminished functioning

When it comes to hospital safety, there are occasions known as “never events.” This term is often applied to surgical procedures that are performed on the wrong patient or the wrong part of the body. The term comes from the rational thought that these tragic situations should never occur. In reality, however, doctors, nurses, administrators, and other hospital staff are not always as diligent as they should be when it comes to performing their jobs in Pennsylvania. As a result, these types of surgical errors do happen.

A woman is suffering from diminished speech and ability to take care of herself after her surgeon allegedly operated on the wrong side of her brain. According to woman’s lawyer, his client experienced a series of strokes about five years ago and brain surgery was supposed to fix that problem. Instead of improving her health, however, the wrong-site surgery has left the woman with serious injuries and emotional distress. 

As a result of this surgical mistake, a lawsuit has been filed on the woman’s behalf. The lawsuit names the hospital and the surgeon as defendants, claiming they are both guilty of negligence. The suit also claims that the careless surgeon and the negligent operating room staff could have prevented the mistake.

This woman’s situation is horrifying and heartbreaking. Her life, and the life of her family, is most likely changed forever. Unfortunately, this case is not as uncommon as it may seem. Many people are negatively impacted by surgical errors every single year. If you are one of them, you may be entitled to compensation. A lawyer may be of assistance. 

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Lawsuit accuses surgeon of operating on wrong side of woman’s brain,” Jim Doyle, April 30, 2013