For readers of our blog, hearing stories about medical mistakes is normal. But for others here in Washington, this might not be the case. For them, hearing stories about medical mistakes may be a rare occurrence. But no matter how frequently you hear about these instances of medical malpractice, most people are appalled to hear that just such accidents occur in the first place. And oftentimes, we hope that the victims are able to seek justice in the end.
This could be the case when our Kennewick readers hear about the story of the man who recently found out that he was a victim of medical malpractice. This discovery came after undergoing emergency surgery to remove his appendix — an organ he thought had been removed in a January 2013 surgery. But what he soon discovered was that this surgical error had gone unnoticed for 14 months by both himself and the hospital staff.
According to the operation report issued by the first surgeon, the man’s appendix was removed during the January 2013 procedure. The organ was then sent to pathology for testing. But here is where reports differ. According to the pathology report, what had been removed during the surgery was not an appendix but in fact a “yellowish mass.” The man claims in his lawsuit that he was never told about the results from pathology nor was he told that his appendix had not, in fact, been removed. He is now seeking damages for the hospital’s negligence.
Though this medical mistake occurred thousands of miles away in another state, many of our readers know that surgical errors can happen anywhere. No matter what state it occurs in though, the impact on the victim is often always the same. And just like in this case, our readers would want to seek the same justice for themselves as well by taking legal action.
Source: CBS New York, “Bronxville Man Sues After Undergoing Second Appendectomy,” April 10, 2014
