North Texas Patients Allege Plano Neurosurgeon Caused them Serious Injuries
Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) November 18, 2013 -- In two lawsuits filed in Dallas County Court, patients allege that Plano neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher D. Duntsch, M.D. caused them to suffer serious injuries after he operated on them.
The first lawsuit was filed by Mary Efurd on June 25, 2013 (Cause No. DC-13-07074L, Efurd v. Christopher D. Duntsch, M.D.). In the lawsuit, Ms. Efurd alleges that Dr. Duntsch was to perform a posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) procedure on her. But when she awoke from surgery, she had a bilateral foot drop and complete loss of function in her left quadriceps, causing her to be unable to bear weight on her left leg postoperatively.
According to the lawsuit, another spinal surgeon was called in to perform what he referred to as a “salvage procedure” on Ms. Efurd in which he found "severe malpositioning of the surgical implants," causing injury to Ms. Efurd's nerves.
Despite the salvage procedure, Ms. Efurd still suffers with chronic pain and difficulty walking. Ms. Efurd’s lawsuit is pending in the 193rd District Court before the Honorable Judge Carl Ginsberg.
The second lawsuit was filed by Kenneth Fennell and his wife, Glenda Fennell, on November 13, 2013 (Cause No. DC-13-13512, Fennell et al. v. Christopher D. Duntsch, M.D. and Texas Neurosurgical Institute, PA). Mr. Fennell alleges that Dr. Duntsch performed an unnecessary surgery on him in November 2011 and injured a contributing nerve to the femoral nerve in a subsequent surgery in January 2013. He now suffers with significant pain and partial paralysis, which he alleges occurred as a result of the surgeries.
Mr. Fennell’s lawsuit is currently pending in the 68th District Court before the Honorable Judge Martin Hoffman.
The Texas Medical Board temporarily suspended Dr. Duntsch’s medical license on June 26, 2013, following four surgical procedures that resulted in either death or severe injury to the patients. According to the suspension order, Dr. Duntsch is “unable to practice medicine with reasonable skill and safety due to impairment from drugs or alcohol.”"
Dr. Duntsch’s alleged botched surgeries have been chronicled in a Texas Observer article published August 28, 2013, “Anatomy of a Tragedy,” which provides an eye-opening look at how tort reform has affected the victims of medical malpractice in Texas.
Dallas medical malpractice attorney Kay L. Van Wey of Van Wey Law, PLLC, represents Ms. Efurd and Mr. Fennell. “On behalf of the Efurd and Fennell families and the other families I represent, I am glad that, at least for the time being, Dr. Duntsch is unable to continue to do harm to other patients,” says Ms. Van Wey.
“This is a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided if someone had done something when the problems first began to surface,” adds Ms. Van Wey.
To learn more about Kay L. Van Wey and her work as a medical malpractice attorney in Dallas, please visit http://www.vanweylaw.com. If you believe you or a loved one was the victim of medical malpractice, call Van Wey Law at (214) 329-1350 to schedule your free consultation.
Kay Van Wey, Van Wey Law, PLLC, http://www.vanweylaw.com, +1 (214) 329-1350, [email protected]
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