$5 Million In Damages Requested In Winchester Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

A woman from Winchester, Virginia recently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Richard John Sears and Winchester Gastroenterology Associates seeking $5 million dollars in damages. The lawsuit allegedly stems from a colonoscopy that Dr. Sears performed on the woman in 2009.

According to reports, the woman was allegedly experiencing severe abdominal pain prior to the colonoscopy. The woman claims that she was given a pain reliever to ease her pain; however, the root cause of the abdominal pain was not investigated prior to the colonoscopy procedure. As the doctor begin the procedure, he allegedly could not pass the scope through the patient’s distal sigmoid colon, but he was able to successfully pass a pediatric scope. According to reports, the procedure was aborted because the doctor believed that he perforated the patient’s colon.

Following the procedure, the patient claimed that her abdomen was rigid and distended. She also claimed to have repeated episodes of vomiting fecal-like material. The woman was later admitted to the intensive care unit at the Winchester Medical Center where she underwent emergency surgery.

The woman claims in her lawsuit that the doctor breached his duty of care to her when he performed the first colonoscopy without first investigating the source of the intense abdominal pain that the woman was experiencing. The woman also claims that the doctor failed to appropriately advise her of the risks associated with performing the colonoscopy giver her condition at the time.