Fla. Hospital Faces Several Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Fla. Hospital Faces Several Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Introduction

Numerous lawsuits have been filed against a hospital in Jacksonville on the grounds that a surgeon who allegedly had palsy caused serious injuries and corrective surgeries between 2016 and 2020.

More than $6 million has already been paid out in claims related to issues allegedly created by the orthopedist physician who retired in 2020. As of right now, at least 348 lawsuits have been filed against the surgeon, and many more are anticipated. The surgeon's clinic and Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville have also been included in the lawsuits.

According to the lawsuits, patients reported noticing the surgeon's trembling hands, slurred speech, shaky gait, involuntary body movements, mood swings, and poor judgment as early as 2016. These symptoms as well as other abnormalities can be brought on by the neurological condition palsy.

According to the claims, patients experienced tendon ruptures, broken femurs, dislocated bones, lost prosthetic knees, and even passed away. In 2018, a 70-year-old woman passed away from a hip replacement that lasted longer than usual because the doctor may have broken her femur while performing the procedure.

The lawsuit claims that the hospital disregarded warning signs from staff and patients that the surgeon was showing signs of the condition worsening.

One lawsuit claims that multiple doctors, nurses, and patients repeatedly expressed their worries to St. Vincent's Medical Center about the surgeon's illness and his handicap, thus the hospital not only had a duty to know but actually did know about it. SVMC retained him to schedule, plan, and carry out a large volume of surgeries and revision surgeries at SVMC despite the overwhelming evidence and knowledge of his problem, the risk he posed to his patients, and the harm being caused to his patients.

In order to put an end to a Florida Department of Health investigation, the doctor retired in 2020 and consented to give up his medical license the following year. Requests for comment regarding the incident were not met with any responses from the defendant, his attorneys, or the hospital's lawyers.