When a patient goes under the knife, they are essentially putting their lives in the hands of what they believe to be a competent, qualified surgeon. But what happens when this professional makes a mistake as egregious as operating on the wrong body part?
This was the case for the Matlock family of Vancouver, Washington in 2011 when their 4-year-old son went in for surgery to correct a wandering right eye. The eye surgeon operated on their son's left eye before realizing the mistake and then repeated the same operation on the correct eye.
"She said, 'frankly, I lost sense of direction and didn't realize I had operated on the wrong eye until I was done operating on the eye,'" said the boy's mother.
While the left eye currently shows no signs of long-term damage, future problems remain to be seen as the boy grows older. The hospital where the surgical mistake took place has only offered to settle the case outside of court for up to $50,000, without publicly acknowledging the mistake. Read the full details here:
Malpractice sought after surgeon operates on wrong eye
Operations on the wrong body part, medication errors, and the leaving of instruments, sponges and surgical towels in a patient's body are commonplace in today's healthcare community. These errors lead to medical malpractice, wrongful death and various injuries causing pain and suffering and even brain damage.
If you or a family member believe you have a medical malpractice case, contact Crandall & Pera Law today for a free case evaluation. Crandall & Pera Law is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.