Many years ago I had a hernia operation consultation. The surgeon had a posh corner office in the hospital and looked like he knew what he was doing. I had no concerns at all about him, and it looked like I was working with a true professional.
During the consultation, I pointed out the hernia and the doctor said he felt it. He marked it on my belly and told me to come back for the already scheduled surgery. When I went into the surgery, I was confident that he was going to fix the hernia.
When I woke up from the operation however, the doctor told me that he couldn't find it. I had gone through a major surgery and incurred a huge bill for nothing. I was very unhappy and looked into suing.
Lawyers told me the case wasn't worth it though since so little money was involved and I was not gravely harmed in the process. I still owed the surgeon for the surgery, and I didn't even get the problem fixed.
A few years ago my wife needed back surgery. She was recommended to a surgical center that her pain management doctor owned. That should have been our first clue things were not going to go well.
The surgeon made multiple mistakes and ended up harming my wife's main left leg nerve. She went into the surgery with no leg problem at all, and she came out of it with severe nerve pain and permanent damage.
After being harmed by the surgeon, we found out he had been sued twice before for malpractice. No one told us though, and we didn't look it up. My wife's damages probably would have been avoided if we had investigated the surgeon's past.
Look up the surgeon's civil court records in the county they work within. You can also speak with malpractice attorneys in your area, but they will usually be tight lipped about past cases. However, they may tell you, "avoid that person." For the best and most thorough investigation, consider hiring a private investigator.
