Lawsuit Alleges Surgeon Amputated Wrong Leg, Resulting in Double Amputee
An Ohio woman is suing a hospital system after claiming a surgical error led to the amputation of her healthy leg, forcing a subsequent amputation of the intended leg and leaving her with no legs.
An Ohio woman has become a double amputee following a surgical procedure where doctors allegedly amputated her healthy left leg instead of the right leg, which was scheduled for removal due to cancer. The patient, Sharon Jacks, is now pursuing a lawsuit against a surgeon at Selby General Hospital and related entities.
The 32-page lawsuit, filed by Jacks and her attorney Brad Layne, alleges that the surgeon's actions constituted a "complete failure of basic patient safety procedures" and qualifies as a "never event." According to the complaint, despite opportunities to correct the mistake during the surgery in September 2025, the surgical team proceeded with the amputation of the wrong limb.
"Wrong limb amputation should never happen. There is simply no excuse. Complete and total failure by multiple medical professionals caused this catastrophe," Layne stated. "Despite several opportunities to identify the mistake and stop the procedure, the surgical team somehow never noticed they were operating on the wrong leg." He added, "Now every day for the rest of her life, Sharon Jacks must live with the consequences of those failures."
The lawsuit claims Jacks has suffered "severe physical injury, permanent disability, pain and suffering, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, medical expenses and other damages."
According to Layne, the surgeon had marked the correct leg for amputation prior to the surgery, and the mark remained on the correct leg even after the incorrect one was removed. The suit alleges gross negligence on the part of the medical professionals and names Selby General Hospital, Marietta Memorial Hospital, Marietta Area Health Care Inc., Marietta Health Care Physicians Inc., and First Settlement Orthopedics Inc., along with several individual physicians as co-defendants.
Selby General Hospital issued a statement to WBNS, saying, "We are saddened by what occurred, and our team continues to keep this patient and their family in our prayers." The hospital also stated that the medical professionals involved are "no longer in their positions," though further details were not provided.