U.S. Government to Pay Pennsylvania Woman $4.2 Million

By Daniel Hawn

Published on February 27, 2006

The lawsuit involved Karen Lee, 50, and Magnus K. Ikhinmwin, the doctor who treated her at a Hamot Medical Center in November 1997. The U.S. attorney's office represented Ikhinmwin due to a federal law passed in 1995 that secures legal services for public health centers.

According to the suit, Lee was suffering from pneumonia when she went to Hamot Medical Center located in Eerie. A day after she was admitted to the hospital, she began to experience breathing difficulties; a nurse wrongly thought Lee was undergoing alcohol withdrawal. Lee, who had prior alcohol dependence, was given a sedative for withdrawal after the nurse consulted Ikhinmwin over the phone.

The lawsuit alleged that Ikhinmwin did not personally assess Lee's condition or call for additional testing.

As the sedative took effect, Lee stopped breathing and suffered multiple heart attacks, the suit claimed. As a result, Lee's arms and legs lost circulation, causing her nerve damage and the inability to walk. She eventually required the amputation of both her legs above the knees.

Today, Lee lives in a hospital bed in her mother's basement and has problems with her short-term memory. She intends to use the money from the award to purchase prosthetic legs and alter her home or purchase a home that has wheelchair access.

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