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Women Wins Texas Medical Malpractice Lawsuit after “Secret” Surgery
Posted on Feb 22, 2012
A medical malpractice victim received a $1.9 million settlement from a Houston medical clinic and a doctor after a jury concluded that they were negligent in the treatment of a surgery patient.
According to local news sources, Lauren Williams underwent a hysterectomy in 2008 at Kelsey-Seybold Medical Clinic in Houston. Although Williams was led to believe that Dr. Jim Patrick Benge would complete the abdominal surgery, about half of the procedure was done by a medical resident who came into the room after Williams went under anesthesia. The resident had never before performed a hysterectomy.
During the hysterectomy, two of Williams’ organs, including her bowel, were perforated. These surgical mistakes caused a life-threatening infection and permanent injuries. Since the medical mistake, she has required five different surgeries and lost much of her intestine. She was in a coma for weeks and hospitalized for months. In the three years since the botched hysterectomy, she has had to struggle to regain her health, learning to talk, walk, and complete daily tasks all over again.
During the Texas medical malpractice trial that followed, the medical clinic argued that a patient does not have the right to know who is performing surgery on his or her own body. A Harris County jury disagreed, awarding Williams with damages that will cover her medical costs and other damages.
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