A 67-year-old woman from Ithaca,New York was awarded $1.25 million after a jury found her surgeon negligent.
She entered the hospital in 2007 complaining of an upset stomach. She was then informed her gallbladder had to be removed.
During the surgery, the woman’s bowel was unintentionally cut.
Almost immediately after the surgery, the woman became severely ill, showing several signs of infection.
A day and half after the first operation, the woman underwent a second surgery to find the source of the infection and to also repair the injured bowel. The woman underwent a total of four more surgeries, needed a ventilator, and spent two months in the intensive care unit.
The jury found the surgeon negligent because he failed to check the woman’s bowel for injury during the gallbladder surgery. They also cited his negligence by failing to promptly diagnose the injury, which lead to substantial injury. According to the lawsuit, the award included $250,000 for medical, hospital and rehabilitative care, and $1 million for pain and suffering for past and future losses.
The surgeon that was found to be at fault had been practicing for over 15 years.