Malpractice Lawsuit Filed After Death from Fall Off Operating Table
A medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed against a Minnesota hospital that allegedly allowed a patient undergoing surgery to fall off of the operating table.
The lawsuit, filed by Shawn DeVries, says that St. Joseph’s Hospital of St. Paul failed to provide adequate care for Max DeVries, his father. Max DeVries, 61, rolled off the operating table on May 8 while undergoing a lumbar drain following a stroke in February. Part of his skull had been removed, and he hit the exposed part of his brain on the floor.
The hospital performed additional surgeries on DeVries to correct the damage caused by the fall, but DeVries never recovered from the incident and died of a massive stroke in April. His family says that the hospital failed to use proper safeguards to prevent the operating room fall.
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Learn MoreDeVries was about 5’5” tall and weighed about 300 pounds. The lawsuit claims that the table’s Velcro straps failed to hold DeVries down. According to the claim, St. Joseph’s Hospital did not have the appropriate operating table or restraints to handle DeVries, which the lawsuit describes as being well within the weight parameters of many of the patients the hospital would have to deal with, especially among stroke victims who are often overweight.
According to a local news report by KARE 11 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the incident is currently under review by the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Health Facilities, but that is standard procedure and there has been no announcement as to whether there will be an investigation into the incident.
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1 Comments
LarryJune 2, 2017 at 2:28 pm
December 13, 2016, I had a similar accident happen to me in Roswell, Georgia at Wellstar, North Fulton Hospital. I was being prepared for a surgical implant for my spine when the Jackson operating table suddenly collapsed and I fell to the floor head first. I suffered a seizure and surgery was then postponed by the surgeon. I've done some research on the Jackson operating table and based on the nu[Show More]December 13, 2016, I had a similar accident happen to me in Roswell, Georgia at Wellstar, North Fulton Hospital. I was being prepared for a surgical implant for my spine when the Jackson operating table suddenly collapsed and I fell to the floor head first. I suffered a seizure and surgery was then postponed by the surgeon. I've done some research on the Jackson operating table and based on the number of accidents happening with the Jackson operating table, it would appear that there is a serious design problem with the Jackson operating table. Is there a law firm in Georgia who would consider taking my case? Perhaps a law firm outside the state of Georgia could also represent me in the lawsuit. I firmly believe that what is happening with the number of accidents involving the Jackson operating table is wrong and should be corrected quickly. Please advise.