December 5, 2022
When you go to see your doctor in Illinois for a specific procedure, you expect things to go smoothly. However, medical malpractice sometimes happens. A man went into the hospital expecting to have a circumcision done but instead, he was given a vasectomy.
Hospital makes a big mistake
The man, a 38-year-old originally from Burma, thought he had scheduled a circumcision with his doctor. However, he was given a vasectomy instead and was left unable to father any more children. It crushed his dreams of having a bigger family.
The hospital was apologetic, but the patient ended up suing for medical malpractice. According to the man’s attorney, there was a language barrier due to the patient not knowing English. An interpreter was brought in to explain to him what to expect with the procedure and how to prepare for potential follow-up appointments.
Patient files for malpractice
After the medical mistake, the patient filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital and the doctor who performed the unwanted vasectomy. However, as there was a miscommunication with the interpreter who conveyed the explanation of the procedure to the patient, the hospital sued the translation company as well.
The patient ultimately received a judgment of nearly half a million dollars in damages but did not find the translation company liable in any way. The hospital filed an appeal against that aspect of the case. However, the judge determined that the doctor was liable for medical malpractice. The jury also decided that the patient was partially responsible for the mixup but found that the doctor was 70% at fault for performing the wrong procedure.
After the lawsuit was settled, the doctor left the hospital, according to a statement issued by the facility. The patient stated that he planned to get his circumcision and have the vasectomy reversed.
