Unbelievable Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Sickness is inevitable. Patients put their trust in medical professionals with the hope of making a full recovery. They have a right to receive ethical and professional medical care. The sad reality is that yearly there are thousands of medical malpractice cases where patients suffer harm or injury while in the care of healthcare professionals who are negligent and don’t perform their duties competently. Medical malpractice lawsuits are often pursued by patients and their families. The doctors in the cases you will read here really messed up and paid big time.\r \r 1. Improvising With a Screwdriver\r \r Former surgeon Robert Ricketson was Arturo Iturralde’s worst nightmare. To correct an issue with his back, Iturralde was scheduled for back surgery where a titanium rod would be implanted into his spine.  Instead, Ricketson used a screwdriver instead of the rod. A few days later, Iturralde was in excruciating pain and an x-ray revealed the cause. The screwdriver had snapped. Although Iturralde underwent three corrective surgeries, he became paraplegic and was dependent on his sister for care. Iturralde filed a malpractice lawsuit against the hospital and was compensated $5.6 million.  \r \r 2. Left or Right?\r \r From Kindergarten, students are taught to distinguish between left and right. Well, this was a lesson that one doctor did not take seriously. Willie King went into the theater to have his right foot amputated but his surgeon removed the left foot. This meant that King lost both his feet as the diseased right foot had to go. The surgeon had marked the wrong leg on all his notes and claimed that it was a genuine mistake. A mistake cost King both feet, the doctor his medical license for six months and the hospital a whole lot of money. From the malpractice lawsuit, King was awarded $1.2 million.\r \r 3. Branding a Patient\r \r Liana Gedz was excited to hold her first born in her arms after the caesarian section. Dr. Allan Zarkin delivered the healthy baby girl without a hitch. The following day, Gedz held a mirror up to her stomach to see the initials A.Z. on her tummy. Yes, you guessed right; that was the handiwork of Dr. Zarkin. What should have been the most glorious time of Gedz’s life was now a nightmare. Dr. Zarkin was suspended and he later resigned. The hospital and Dr. Zarkin were sued and Gedz received $1.75 million. The doctor admitted to assault and received probation.\r \r 4. Oops, Where is it?\r \r Donald Church had surgery in 2000 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. The surgeons were successfully able to remove an abdominal tumor that had brought Church much distress. A thirteen-inch metal retractor used for the surgery was left in Church’s abdomen. After a month of intense chest pain, doctors discovered the cause. Church was compensated with $97,000. This was the fifth instance in five years where surgeons at this hospital left instruments in their patients.\r \r 5. Plastic Surgery Gone Wrong\r \r Dr. Reinaldo Silvestre claimed to be a plastic surgeon. A male bodybuilder wanted his pectorals to pop without putting in the hard work at the gym. Silvestre agreed to do the surgery but he didn’t have the right implants. Let’s just say, the patient was furious when his chest looked like that of a woman. The patient filed a malpractice lawsuit only to find out that Silvestre wasn’t a doctor and didn’t have a medical license. Silvestre fled the country but law enforcement caught up with him. He had to pay out millions for several botched surgeries.