You trust your doctor to do the right thing. When they don’t, the consequences may be a lawsuit.
This is perhaps one of the oddest cases ever reported. It has yet to make its way through the courts. A gynecologist of eminent stature is being sued for branding a patient’s name on her uterus after he removed it. The branding was done with an electrocautery device.
None of this would have come to light but for a follow-up visit to the doctor’s office by the plaintiff, who wanted to know why her leg was burned during her operation. Things got weirder by the minute from that point on.
This all started in 2006, when the doctor in question removed “Ingrid’s” uterus and then, for some unknown reason, carved her first name, in one inch high letters, on the organ. His contention was that he didn’t want to confuse it with others, although he also added that this kind of thing is not usually done. It is oddly bizarre behavior for a surgeon with over 20 years experience.
Even odder was his contention that he did it as a friendly gesture because the woman was a good friend. In reality, the woman was a friend of the receptionist in the doctor’s office. Interestingly enough, the plaintiff had never met the surgeon until she needed a hysterectomy. Evidently, the branding had been done during the operation, which accounted for the burns on the victim’s leg.
During the follow up appointment, the doctor was looking at pictures that had been taken during her operation and the plaintiff and her husband asked for copies of them. The physician claimed he didn’t know how to copy the images for them, but the plaintiff’s husband (a photographer) did. They left the office with the pictures and were thoroughly shocked later when they saw her name engraved on her uterus.
In total disgust, they contacted a lawyer and filed a lawsuit. While one might think the doctor would reply to the complaint with a stated position, apparently there has been no response from him at all. Where this case will go is anyone’s guess, but suffice it to say that it’s a strange medical malpractice suit which also charges the doctor with battery and contends that the husband has lost consortium with his wife.
The lesson in this case? Medical malpractice can and does happen in strange ways and those who have been affected by actions such as this may be entitled to compensation. If you have had an experience similar to this, or feel you have been the victim of medical malpractice, call a Chicago personal injury lawyer for assistance.
Michael Osborne is a Chicago injury lawyer. The Law Office of Michael Osborne helps accident, wrongful death, and personal injury victims. To contact a Chicago personal injury attorney or learn more, visit Michaelosbornelaw.com or call (312) 315-1765.
