Personal Injury Law

Woman Files Medical Malpractice Lawsuit after she was Set on Fire During Surgery

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

A family of a medical malpractice victim has sued the surgeon they believe is responsible for the error. According to NewsOn6.com the fire broke out during the victim?s surgery. She was undergoing breast reconstruction surgery when the fire sparked. Two years prior to the medical malpractice she had a double mastectomy as a result of breast cancer. She was hoping the breast reconstruction would be a final step towards healing but was set backwards.

After the woman woke up from the surgery her face was covered in bandages. The medical malpractice lawsuit claims that the doctor used alcohol to swab the victim during the procedure, set the cauterizing tool aflame. This sparked a fire that caught both the victim and the drapes on fire. The fire then proceeded to melt the oxygen tube inside of her mouth, causing her mouth and tongue to burn. She was unable to eat or drink for a period of time and still has trouble four months later. The devoted teacher is unable to go back to work because the pain has been so terrible. Unfortunately, her face and lips have been deformed and it appears that she will need future surgeries.

Medical errors cause approximately 98,000 deaths per year. The victims of medical malpractice are hopefully sending a message to those negligent healthcare providers by filing medical malpractice lawsuits. In the end, the goal is to ensure that medical providers deliver quality care to avoid such litigation. To read more about this specific medical malpractice lawsuit, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on March 31, 2010 (boomark / email).