Surgical Medical Malpractice
A 72-year-old Navy veteran developed diverticulitis and required surgery; he underwent surgery to remove the diseased portion of his colon, resulting in a temporary colostomy.
After he healed from this initial surgery, he required a reversal surgery to reconnect his colon and reverse the colostomy. During this reversal surgery, the surgeon negligently perforated his bladder, and instead of reconnecting the two ends of his colon, his colon was connected to his bladder. This surgical error could not be corrected, and he was left with a permanent colostomy and the need for a urinary catheter. The surgeon denied any negligence and instead argued that this was a risk of the surgical procedure due to his distorted anatomy. D’Amico Pettinicchi retained multiple colorectal surgical experts to prove that this surgical mistake was negligent and not simply an acceptable risk of the surgery. We reconstructed a video presentation showing how the surgery went wrong and also demonstrating how the surgery should be done correctly. After 3 years of hotly contested litigation, D’Amico Pettinicchi reached a multiple 7-figure confidential settlement which compensated him for economic losses including any future medical care expenses as well as a substantial non-economic award for pain, suffering, and ongoing limitations.