Illinois Hospital to Pay 6.5 Million to Victim of Botched Foot Surgery

By Brittany Golledge

Published on September 02, 2005

The plaintiff, Teresa Bryant, claims that her son, who was eight-years-old at the time, suffered permanent brain damage after undergoing a botched foot surgery. She filed suit in 1996, naming two defendants: Rockford Memorial Hospital and Dr. John Keith - the anesthesiologist who assisted with her son's surgery. Keith was later dropped from the suit; he remains on staff at Rockford Memorial Hospital.

The lawsuit alleges that the Hospital was negligent in continuing the surgery despite indications that the boy's pulse and heart rate showed signs of distress. Court documents revealed that the boy eventually went into cardiac arrest and suffered extensive brain injury. He now suffers from spastic quadriplegia, seizures, visual impairment, and a host of other developmental disorders.

Part of the 6.5 million dollar settlement will be paid out in a large cash sum, the rest will be dispersed in monthly installments of 15,000 dollars.

Attorneys for Rockford Memorial Hospital have had no comment about the case. Records indicate that the anesthesiologist, Dr. John Keith, has no discipline record.

Comment on this article →