Woman receives $1.27 million for amputation of foot due to maggots

By Daniel Hawn

Published on May 25, 2006

In 2004, Mary Stewart, of West Palm Beach, underwent surgery on her left foot to treat a circulation problem. After the operation, Stewart, 72, was allowed to recover at Renova Health Center, a nursing home in Lake Park.

According to the lawsuit, nurses failed to check on her each day and provide her with the medication she needed. The suit also stated that Stewart experienced pain in the area of the incision but didn’t think anything was wrong.

Stewart’s attorney, Scott Fischer, said the facility’s employees failed to properly clean Stewart’s wounds. Rather, they simply wrapped her foot in additional bandages, Fischer said.

After 18 days at the center, a doctor discovered hundreds of maggots in Stewart’s wound as he unwrapped the bandages.

The infection was so severe that Stewart had to have her leg amputated below the knee.

Attorneys for Renova alleged that the home’s employees cared for the wound but that conditions stemming from a prior hurricane increased the presence of flies in the area, resulting in the infestation, Fischer said.

Stewart said she will use the award money to pay for the care she needs as a result of losing her foot.

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