THE WOMAN SUFFERED A DEVASTATING FALL JUST HOURS AFTER HER KNEE SURGERY, CAUSING LIFE-LONG DISABILITY AND NEAR-AMPUTATION
An Ohio women and her husband recently settled a lawsuit against a Toledo area hospital for injuries suffered in a post-surgery fall soon after undergoing a knee arthroplasty procedure at said hospital. The fall led to an array of physical complications for the woman, who almost needed to amputate her leg to survive post-surgery complications stemming from the accident.
According to the complaint filed in the Court of Common Pleas, Lucas County, Ohio, the patient was left unattended, out of her hospital bed, less than two hours after her reconstructive knee surgery; resulting in a fall that the hospital could have easily avoided. The complaint states that the patient should have been consistently supervised to avoid a high-probability fall, but was left unattended just before the fall occurred. The elderly patient was experiencing numbness in her legs at the time and was under the influence of post-surgical medication.
Faced with the frightening possibility of having her leg amputated, the women chose to have a steel rod implanted through the knee. Although the leg was saved, her knee is permanently locked in the extended position. Her gait will never be restored and she must walk with a dragging motion in her afflicted leg.
The plaintiff accused the hospital of falling below the standard of care in her post-surgical care and physical therapy, resulting in: severe pain and suffering, an infection requiring removal of the artificial knee joint, additional surgeries, a prolonged convalescence at a skilled nursing facility, a fractured ankle, and substantial medical expenses.
While the hospital has not admitted guilt – a customary term in settlement agreements – a settlement was reached between the parties, resulting in the voluntary dismissal of the case. The plaintiffs were represented by Cleveland-based law firm Spangenberg Shibley & Liber.
