Massive payout after surgeons remove wrong testicle
A US man has been awarded more than US$800,000 after his doctor reportedly removed the wrong testicle during an operation.
PennLive.com Steven Hanes, 54, had consulted urologist Dr V Spencer Long after experiencing chronic pain in his right testicle for 15 years.
Dr Long recommended getting the testicle surgically removed at a hospital in Pennsylvania.
But during the operation Dr Long reportedly removed Hanes’ healthy left testicle leaving the problematic left one intact.
“It appeared that the left testicle and cord may actually have been removed instead of the right one,” Dr Long wrote in a post-operative report, which was included in court filings.
Dr Long reportedly confirmed the mistake in a follow-up visit.
A jury awarded Hanes $620,000 in damages for pain and suffering and $250,000 in punitive damages against Dr Long for “reckless indifference.”
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Hane’s lawyer argued his client still lives in fear of having more surgery and if the unhealthy testicle is removed Hanes will have to undergo testosterone replacement surgery for the rest of his life.
Dr Long is reportedly no longer performing surgeries.
