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Surgeon's Fatal Error: Woman Loses Both Legs
30 Sep
Summary
- Surgeon allegedly confused left and right sides during surgery.
- Planned right leg amputation resulted in double amputation.
- Hospital states staff involved were held accountable and removed.
An elderly woman from Ohio has allegedly lost both her legs due to a surgical error at Selby General Hospital. The 74-year-old, Sharon Jacks, is suing the hospital after a planned below-the-knee amputation on her right leg resulted in her becoming a double amputee.
The lawsuit details that the surgical team had several chances to identify the mistake, including when draping the wrong leg and applying a tourniquet, but failed to stop the procedure. Her lawyer emphasized that such catastrophic errors are inexcusable and that Ms. Jacks will live with the permanent consequences.
Selby General Hospital acknowledged that an "adverse surgical event" occurred in September 2025, describing it as an avoidable incident where operating room procedures were not followed. The hospital stated that the medical staff involved were held accountable and are no longer in their positions.
Wrong-site surgeries, particularly the amputation of the wrong limb, are categorized as entirely preventable "never events." While rare, occurring in an estimated 1 in 112,000 procedures, similar incidents have been reported globally.
