Having to go under the knife for surgery can be very scary. You have to put your full and complete faith into a doctor, trusting that they will treat you with the utmost care while you are under. What happens if your doctor is negligent? In cases where your medical treatment wasn't up to your standards, you can sue for malpractice. Below is a list of some of the most bizarre malpractice lawsuits that have been filed.

Iturralde Vs. Ricketson

For most of his life, Arturo Iturralde suffered from chronic back pain. Finally, Iturralde saw his doctor for options in fixing the problem. His doctor, Robert Ricketson, recommended surgically implanting titanium rods in his back in order to stabilize the spine and stop the pain. During the surgery, Ricketson realized that he did not have the proper rods to complete the surgery. Determined to finish the procedure, Ricketson used a nearby screwdriver. After the surgery, Ricketson sent his patient home without informing him of the improvisation.

Three days later, Iturralde was back in the hospital. He had been bending over when something snapped in his back and be began to experience even worse back pain than before. Upon x-rays, the emergency room doctors found that the screwdriver that was used to hold Iturralde's spine in place had actually snapped in half. The Iturralde family received almost $6 million in malpractice damages.

Martinez Vs. Gangasani

William Martinez made a visit to his doctor's office after experiencing sudden chest pains. His doctor, Sreenivasulu Gangasani, ordered several heart tests for his patient and sent him home. During the week of waiting for his testing appointments, Martinez participated in a threesome, where he later died because of a heart attack.

The Martinez family sued Dr. Gangasani for not properly educating William on staying away from strenuous activities while waiting for this appointment. This family was given $3 million for the death.

Cool Vs. Olson

This case proves that you do not have to go under the knife to be susceptible to malpractice suits. Kenneth Olson, a psychiatrist in Wisconsin, was sued by his patient for convincing her that she had over one hundred different personalities. In 1997, Nadean Cool took her shrink to court and sued him for negligence, by making her believe that she actually had multiple personalities. In her court papers, she claimed that Olson even convinced her to let him do an exorcism in order to relieve her of some of these personalities.

Cool sued Olson over the malpractice and for billing each of her personalities separately. She won the malpractice suit and was give over $2 million.

Malpractice suits are very scary, especially if you are the one under the knife. Enlisting the help of lawyers like Bayer Jerger & Underwood will make the case go smoother and may even help you to avoid being treated negligently again.

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