Doctors allegedly amputated wrong leg of patient in Washington County, Ohio. Now a lawsuit is underway: ‘There is simply no excuse’

A lawsuit filed in Washington County, Ohio, reveals that a patient left surgery with the wrong leg amputated, WCHS TV reported. The legal action names Selby General Hospital, Marietta Memorial Hospital, Marietta Area Health Care, Inc., Marietta Health Care Physicians, Inc., and First Settlement Orthopedics, Inc. as defendants alongside a team of doctors and physicians.

The legal team representing the patient, Sharon Jacks, is from Kayser, Layne & Clerk, PLLC, based in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, along with other relief available under Ohio law.

According to the details provided in the lawsuit, Sharon Jacks went in for a procedure to have her lower right leg amputated. The surgical team allegedly had multiple opportunities to catch the mistake while they were prepping and draping the wrong limb. They even placed a pneumatic tourniquet on the wrong thigh before proceeding with the operation on her lower left leg. The medical records indicate that two surgical time-outs took place, but the team still failed to identify the correct operative site.

This case highlights a massive breakdown in standard medical safety procedures

“Standard operative procedures require the surgical team to conduct surgical time-outs to verify the patient, procedure and correct operative site before proceeding with surgery,” the release said in part. “Though the medical records say that two time-outs did occur, the surgical team still amputated the wrong leg.”

The situation becomes even more difficult to comprehend because Sharon Jacks eventually required the amputation of her original, intended right leg. This sequence of events has left her as a double amputee.

Brad Layne, the attorney representing the Jacks family, provided a statement regarding the legal filing. “Wrong limb amputation should never happen. There is simply no excuse. Complete and total failure by multiple medical professionals caused this catastrophe. Despite several opportunities to identify the mistake and stop the procedure, the surgical team somehow never noticed they were operating on the wrong leg. Now every day for the rest of her life, Sharon Jacks must live with the consequences of those failures.”

The lawsuit outlines the significant impact this has had on the patient. It alleges that Sharon Jacks suffered severe and permanent bodily injury, pain and suffering, as well as emotional distress, disability, loss of enjoyment of life, medical expenses and lost earnings. The complexity of these injuries and the long-term changes to her daily life are substantial.