The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

After a surgeon botched a routine gallbladder removal surgery, a Texas Airman stationed in California had to have both legs amputated due to a massive amount of blood loss. Twenty-year-old Colton Read underwent routine laparoscopic surgery at a hospital near Sacramento, but about an hour into the minimally invasive procedure to remove his gallbladder, something went terribly wrong. A nurse was heard by the man’s wife saying, "We need blood now," as she was running out of the operating room.

Allegedly, an Air Force general surgeon mistakenly cut Mr. Read’s aortic valve (the valve that supplies blood to the heart) but waited hours to transport the patient to a hospital with a vascular surgeon. Due to blood loss, Mr. Read lost both legs. While the doctor admitted his mistake, the Reads cannot sue under federal law. Because of the Feres Doctrine, the military cannot be sued for its medical mistake. A bill is pending that would end this law

At the time of this writing, Read is still in intensive care, and his gallbladder now cannot be removed due to risk of infection.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to medical malpractice, please contact the medical malpractice at The Cochran Firm, with offices nationwide, today to schedule a confidential consultation.

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