Wife of deceased Jeffrey Brown secures Bell Law Firm following unnecessary bowel surgery and failure to treat deadly bowel leak.
Lloyd Bell of Bell Law Firm confirmed the filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of Cory Brown in Muscogee County, against St. Francis Health LLC, LifePoint Health Inc., Emory Healthcare Inc., Columbus Surgical Specialists LLC, Southeastern Hospitalist Services PC, and others, following negligence leading to the death of her husband, Jeffrey Brown.
In November 2019, during a minimally invasive procedure, surgeon William Taylor removed a cancerous growth from Jeffrey’s rectum. A few days later, a pathologist confirmed that the entire growth had been removed without leaving behind any cancerous tissue. Nevertheless, by misrepresenting the pathologist’s findings, Dr. Taylor persuaded Jeffery to undergo lower anterior resection (“LAR”) surgery—a major surgery to cut out part of the rectum and colon. On December 13, 2019, Dr. Taylor performed the unnecessary LAR surgery on Jeffrey at St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Georgia.
Three days later, fecal matter appeared in Jeffrey’s surgical drain. Although the drainage was an obvious sign that feces was leaking from Jeffrey’s bowel into his abdominal cavity, Dr. Taylor and intensivist James Hull did nothing for about 30 hours to repair the leak. In fact, for nearly 24 hours, Dr. Taylor and Dr. Hull failed even to obtain a CT scan, which would have quickly and definitively confirmed the leak. By the time Dr. Taylor performed a follow-up surgery to repair the leak, Jeffrey was critically ill with septic shock.
Three days later, Jeffrey died at St. Francis Hospital from multi-system organ failure. Jeffrey was survived by Cory, as well as a 25-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.
“This case raises serious issues of negligence, civil battery, and medical ethics,” states Lloyd Bell. “First, for no medically valid reason, Dr. Taylor performed major bowel surgery on Jeffrey without obtaining his actual informed consent. Second, Dr. Taylor and others inexplicably failed to provide Jeffrey emergency treatment when his bowel had an obvious leak. Jeffrey was a 49-year-old husband and father. His death is a tragedy that should never occur—and that would not have occurred had Dr. Taylor and others done their jobs consistent with the standards of care and ethics.”
To review the complete filing, click here. For more information about Bell Law Firm’s success in helping victims of wrongful death, visit www.belllawfirm.com/results.
About Bell Law Firm
Bell Law Firm is one of Georgia’s leading law firms for victims of medical malpractice. Founded in 1999 by Lloyd Bell, the firm has recovered more than $100 million for patients and families of people injured or killed due to medical negligence. Bell has more than 25 years of experience in federal and state courts, and he has represented clients in more than 100 jury trials in addition to many more successful settlements. Specializing in litigating misdiagnoses, surgical errors, pharmacy medication mistakes, and other types of malpractice, Bell Law firm stands apart with a deep legal experience, a mastery of technology in the courtroom, and a compelling manner of storytelling. In 2018, Daily Report, the leading source of legal news in Atlanta, named Bell Law Firm as Personal Injury Litigation Team of the Year. Firm founder, Lloyd Bell is one of only two Georgia members of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only organization of the 100 top trial lawyers in the country.
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