Choreographer wins $450,000 for operation on wrong knee

[jswordy]

YORK - A hospital and the New York Rangers' hockey team doctor today were ordered to pay $450,000 to a dance director and choreographer who had surgery on the wrong knee.

Douglas Hall, 43, went to St. Vincent's Hospital in November 2001 for arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Despite marking the right knee with an "X," Dr. Andrew Feldman operated on the left knee.

Feldman, described on St. Vincent's Web site as the head team physician for the Rangers, admitted an error occurred; the parties disagreed on how it happened. Hall's lawyer, Richard Gurfein, said Feldman claims the operating room was set up for a left knee operation.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3002645

[Rose Siding]

1. Tort reform! Tort reform!

One size fits all justice.

How is it that the settlement is so LOW? They even want it reduced!

[Misunderestimator]

4. Indeed ... $450K is not much at all.... and his livelihood has been

severely affected... these are the people who will suffer from so-called tort-reform.

[phylny]

2. My daughter had knee surgery

and the surgeon, anesthesiologist, AND nurse all signed her left knee, which is the one that needed surgery. In fact, signing the area before surgery is, I believe, the policy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

It's not too hard for a surgeon to know what the hell he or she is supposed to do.

[biftonnorton]

3. Don't Get Doc An X-Box For A Gift

it would be in bad taste. Hilarious, but in bad taste.

[0007]

5. A very good friend of mine had the same thing happens to his mother

in the early 50's. She was admitted to the hospital to have a cyst removed from her elbow. She was given a wrist band for a women that needed head surgery to relieve pressure that was causing her problems. The doctor drilled a hole in her head. My friend's mother had blurry vision and speech problems from that operation. The kicker was the hospital dunned her for the bill, and threaten to take her to court for payment. My friend was crazy with angry and refused to talk about it, so I don't know what the finally outcome was.

In those days it was unheard of to sue a doctor or hospital.

[Misunderestimator]

7. Damn... and that's exactly where there'd like to be again...

no recourse... that's really awful.

[DS1]

6. People that make a living yelling "and 5, 6, 7, 8" should be crippled

anyway :eyes:

[dolo amber]

8. "....and a one, and a two..."

:evilgrin:

[DS1]

9. I got two guns

one for each knee



:D

[Voltaire99]

10. "Despite marking the right knee with an X...

...Dr. Andrew Feldman operated on the left knee."

Jesus! When this guy uncaps his magic marker, cover yer nuts.

Of course, when we have tort reform, these onerous knee lawsuits will no longer force medical costs up, yadda yadda...