Some of the most shocking things in the world are medical malpractice stories.
Some of these events were fatal.
Some were avoidable. Some – like the surgeon who carved his initials into a woman’s abdomen –
Are just crazy. We tell these stories so people can take caution. They serve as a warning bell for health personnel and an eye-opener for patients.
Now, today’s technology in medicine is astounding. And doctors have more knowledge available to them than ever before. So it’s no wonder that many patients place their complete trust in their doctors.
But one thing hasn’t changed over the years: doctors are still human. They still make mistakes. And there will always be medical “professionals” who seriously mess things up.
Below we’ve compiled the worst medical malpractice cases in history. They might make you think twice before placing all your faith in your doctor.
Surgeon Amputates the Wrong Leg
As if it weren’t heartbreaking enough to have to lose one leg, a diabetic patient lost both due to medical malpractice. Willie King won a $250,000 settlement against the surgeon who amputated his healthy leg by mistake.
The 51-year-old also won a $900,000 settlement against University Community Hospital. Later on, he had the unhealthy leg amputated at another hospital.
Wrong Sperm Used For In Vitro Fertilization
One of the strangest medical malpractice stories is the one about a baby born from the wrong sperm sample. Thomas and Nancy Andrews sued New York Medical Services for Reproductive Medicine after they used a different man’s sperm for in vitro fertilization.
The Andrews had no idea of the mistake until their daughter was born. She appeared to be of a completely different race! A DNA test confirmed that Thomas wasn’t the father.
Surgeon Carves Initials Into Woman’s Abdomen
This medical malpractice story is a case of a doctor falling far off his rocker. Dr. Allan Zarkin had a long, successful career as an obstetrician. But now, he’ll forever be known as the man who carved his initials into a woman’s abdomen while performing a C-section.
Zarkin branded his patient, Liana Gedz, with a 3-by-1 1/2-inch “A” and “Z”. His reasoning? “I did such a beautiful job, I’ll initial it.” That’s what the medical team heard him announce in the operating room.
Gedz and her husband sued Beth Israel Medical Center for the incident. The hospital banned and reported Zarkin. His colleagues later dubbed him “Dr. Zorro”.
Man Undergoes Surgery Without Anesthesia
Imagine going under the knife while seeing, hearing, and feeling it all–and you can’t move or speak to make it stop. It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but anesthesia errors do happen in real life.
In 2006, Sherman Sizemore received a paralytic drug before going into surgery. But doctors failed to give him anesthesia that would put him to sleep. So Sizemore endured 16 minutes of excruciating pain before the medical team realized their mistake!
When they discovered the error, Sizemore’s doctors tried to cover it up by giving him an amnesia-inducing drug. But the poor man was plagued by flashbacks and nightmares after he left the hospital. He committed suicide two weeks later.
Switched Vials Cost a Renowned Photographer His Life
One of the worst medical malpractice cases in history is that of the man who suffered a huge loss due to a teeny, tiny error.
Miami Herald photographer Bob East decided to donate his eye to science after he found out he had corneal cancer. So a doctor brought a tiny, unmarked vial of a formaldehyde-like substance into the operating room.
The surgery went smoothly at first. But then, an anesthesiologist grabbed the vial of preservative instead of the one he needed, and injected it into East’s spine. The damage was instant, and permanent: East was brain dead. He died five days later.
Man Catches Fire On the Operating Table
The operating table might be the last place you’d expect someone to catch fire. But that’s exactly what happened to Enrique Ruiz. In one of the worst medical malpractice cases of 2012, Ruiz caught on fire while getting a tracheotomy. To make matters worse, the hospital tried to cover it up.
An electronic scalpel made the oxygen supply explode, giving Ruiz painful second-degree burns. Dr. Jay Yelon brushed off the incident, saying, “That happens sometimes. It’s not unusual. It was like a sunburn.”
Yelon didn’t mention the extensive burns in the post-surgery report. But an investigation revealed that Ruiz had caught fire and nearly lost his life.
Girl Gets Organ Transplant–With Wrong Blood Type
This medical malpractice story will blow your mind because of how preventable it was. Even more astounding is where it took place: in the prestigious Duke University Hospital.
17 year-old Jesica Santilian received a much-needed heart and lung transplant. But doctors made one huge mistake: they didn’t check her blood type first.
The new organs didn’t match Jesica’s blood type, so her body rejected them. She suffered severe brain damage, and died soon after. The negligent hospital covered up the mistake for 11 days before accepting responsibility.
Bonus – 6 More Shocking Medical Malpractice Stories
As if the 7 stories above weren’t horrifying enough – here’s 6 more that are just as bad. (And in some cases, worse.)
Dr Death
One of the most shocking medical malpractice stories is the case of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. People started calling him Dr. Death, because of the numerous reckless surgeries he performed, many of which resulted in death.
From 2011 to 2013, his surgeries left a number of patients permanently disabled, horrifically injured, or dead. Sadly, he kept his medical license for years, continuing to injure innocent patients until 2015, when two of his patients filed a lawsuit against him.
In the ensuing investigation, they discovered that Duntsch lied about his credentials, abused drugs, and abused patients terribly. Needless to say, they revoked his medical license and threw him in jail with a life sentence.
Surgery On Wrong Side Of Head
Something like this should never, ever happen. In fact, that’s precisely why this type of thing is called a “never event” – wrong site surgery is a never event, that sadly, is much less “never” than you might expect. In one case, neurosurgeons performed 3 surgeries on 3 patients, all on the wrong site on their heads. One of them died from the surgery.
The worst part is, the surgeon was only suspended for 2 months. This is one good reason to sue if you’re a victim of malpractice – negligent doctors need to be held accountable. In part so they (hopefully) don’t do it again. This happened at Rhode Island Hospital, which has a 3 star rating on Google at the time of this writing.
Woman Needlessly Loses Both Breasts
At 35 years old, Darrie Eason’s doctor told her she had breast cancer, and that she’d have to get both breasts removed. After the surgery, she discovered they made a mistake – she never had breast cancer. This case is extra horrifying due to the fact that she went out of her way to get a second opinion to make sure, but the doctor told her the same thing as the original – that she had breast cancer and she should get a double mastectomy. The one good thing is, she sued them and ultimately forced them into a settlement, winning $2.5 million of compensation.
Doctor Removes Kidney Instead of Gallbladder
Among medical malpractice stories, this one particularly stood out. An 84-year-old woman underwent surgery to remove her gallbladder in 2006. Unfortunately, the surgeon removed the wrong organ. The surgeon removed the patient’s kidney instead of her gallbladder.
The painful surgery took place in Milford Regional Medical Center, Massachusetts. McEnaney misread the lab test results. Of course, this error didn’t go unpunished. The state medical board placed the surgeon on five years’ probation.
Surgeons Leave Instrument after Surgery
Donald Church underwent an abdominal tumor removal surgery in 2000. The surgeons at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, removed the tumor. But they left a 13-inch metal retractor in the patient’s abdomen.
After two months of excruciating pain, the error came to light. Mr Church sued and recovered $97,000 for damages. This was the hospital’s fifth time leaving a surgical instrument in patients.
Doctor Implants Screwdriver in Patient
As far as medical malpractice stories go, this case was pretty shocking. Arturo Itturralde had back surgery that involved inserting surgical rods into his spine. The surgeon, Robert Ricketson, couldn’t find the surgical rods. He found an alternative means, which sadly proved fatal.
Dr Ricketson inserted the handle of a screwdriver into Arturo’s spine. Of course, the makeshift rod broke within a few days. Arturo suffered excruciating pain and lost spine stability. He underwent several surgeries to correct the mistake and died within two years. Arturo’s lawyers filed a malpractice suit against Dr Ricketson and recovered $5.6 million.
Do You Have a Medical Malpractice Story?
Doctor negligence is serious business. If you believe that you or a loved one are a victim of medical malpractice, you may be entitled to a settlement. Contact our knowledgeable team of attorneys today. And set up a free medical malpractice consultation, because you may have a case.
