Imagine the surprise and anger you would feel if you went under the knife only to find out that the wrong body part was operated on. Not only would you need additional surgery, but now you may have irreparable injuries as a result of the surgical error.
That’s more or less what happened in this case involving a man who underwent surgery to remove one of his testicles. The June 18 report made national news when a jury in Pennsylvania determined that the award for the man’s suffering should be $870,000.
The incident happened when a man went to a urologist in 2013 complaining that he was suffering from pain in his right testicle. The testicle had atrophied as a result of an injury he had suffered at another time.
To help reduce the pain caused by the injury, the doctor ordered the surgical removal of the organ. Fortunately, the surgery was successful, and he did not suffer complications. Unfortunately, the wrong testicle had been removed. The patient filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the surgeon and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital.
When the surgeon was asked what happened, he allegedly reported that the correct side was operated on but that the testicles had potentially changed positions at some point. This is not impossible but a highly unlikely explanation.
If you are injured in a situation like this, it’s important to file a claim as soon as possible. There are limits to how long you have to file a claim for compensation. Your attorney can help you with your case, so you can expose the negligence you faced.
Source: SFGate, “Man underwent surgery to remove his right testicle; when he woke up, his left one was missing,” Amy B. Wang, June 18, 2017