NORFOLK, VIRGINIA
Last summer, Mickey Murray went to the Hampton VA Medical Center with a broken right foot. A doctor recommended -- and performed -- surgery to his third metatarsal, court documents said.
If only that had been the broken bone.
Murray, a Navy veteran and now a former Norfolk sheriff's deputy, filed a $2.15 million lawsuit last week against the federal government claiming medical malpractice.
Among other things, the lawsuit said Dr. Rodney Harris installed a plate and three screws on the wrong bone in his right foot.
Neither Murray's attorney Gregory Larsen nor a VA spokesman returned calls and emails seeking comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.
According to the complaint, Murray went to the VA on July 25 complaining of foot pain. An X-ray revealed a stress fracture.
About two weeks later -- on Aug. 8 -- Murray returned to the medical center and met with Harris, a podiatrist. Harris recommended immediate surgery, the lawsuit said.
Harris performed an "open reduction internal fixation" on Murray's third metatarsal, placing a plate and three screws on the bone, the lawsuit said.
Murray stayed off his foot for most of the next month, returning to work at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office on Sept. 2. Shortly thereafter, however, the former petty officer first class heard a pop in his right foot and started feeling pain.
Murray went to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center on Sept. 7 about his foot. There, an X-ray revealed the hardware was installed on the wrong bone, according to the lawsuit.
Murray sought a second opinion from a private doctor Sept. 12, who determined his surgically repaired third metatarsal had no fracture, but his fourth and fifth metatarsals were broken and in need of care. The lawsuit said that doctor also noted Murray had developed a post-op infection.
That doctor performed surgery Oct. 27, removing the plates and screws from the third metatarsal and installing hardware on his fourth and fifth bones.
The lawsuit claims Murray continues to suffer pain and nerve damage in his right foot and is unable to walk normally. The suit said he was forced to miss several months of work as a result of the surgeries and lost his job with the Sheriff's Office.
A spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office said Murray resigned in November "for health reasons."
Source: http://www.military.com
Last summer, Mickey Murray went to the Hampton VA Medical Center with a broken right foot. A doctor recommended -- and performed -- surgery to his third metatarsal, court documents said.
If only that had been the broken bone.
Murray, a Navy veteran and now a former Norfolk sheriff's deputy, filed a $2.15 million lawsuit last week against the federal government claiming medical malpractice.
Among other things, the lawsuit said Dr. Rodney Harris installed a plate and three screws on the wrong bone in his right foot.
Neither Murray's attorney Gregory Larsen nor a VA spokesman returned calls and emails seeking comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.
According to the complaint, Murray went to the VA on July 25 complaining of foot pain. An X-ray revealed a stress fracture.
About two weeks later -- on Aug. 8 -- Murray returned to the medical center and met with Harris, a podiatrist. Harris recommended immediate surgery, the lawsuit said.
Harris performed an "open reduction internal fixation" on Murray's third metatarsal, placing a plate and three screws on the bone, the lawsuit said.
Murray stayed off his foot for most of the next month, returning to work at the Norfolk Sheriff's Office on Sept. 2. Shortly thereafter, however, the former petty officer first class heard a pop in his right foot and started feeling pain.
Murray went to Portsmouth Naval Medical Center on Sept. 7 about his foot. There, an X-ray revealed the hardware was installed on the wrong bone, according to the lawsuit.
Murray sought a second opinion from a private doctor Sept. 12, who determined his surgically repaired third metatarsal had no fracture, but his fourth and fifth metatarsals were broken and in need of care. The lawsuit said that doctor also noted Murray had developed a post-op infection.
That doctor performed surgery Oct. 27, removing the plates and screws from the third metatarsal and installing hardware on his fourth and fifth bones.
The lawsuit claims Murray continues to suffer pain and nerve damage in his right foot and is unable to walk normally. The suit said he was forced to miss several months of work as a result of the surgeries and lost his job with the Sheriff's Office.
A spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office said Murray resigned in November "for health reasons."
Source: http://www.military.com