Attorneys: 'Calamity of preventable errors' led to $17 million verdict against Sparrow

LANSING - A jury has awarded $17 million to a Holt woman who lost a leg and became a paraplegic after undergoing outpatient surgery at Sparrow Hospital, lawyers for the woman said.

In March 2015, Kathleen Bashore walked into the hospital for a "routine, outpatient procedure" to improve blood flow in her legs and relieve leg cramping she experienced when walking long distances, Ann Arbor law firm Goethel Engelhardt said in a news release.

When she got out of the hospital six months later, one of her legs had been amputated and she was paralyzed from the waist down, the law firm said.

Bashore, who was 70 when she went into the hospital, has since undergone 35 surgeries and requires permanent around-the-clock care, her attorneys said. She sued the hospital and cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Ara Pridjian in early 2017, alleging they committed malpractice.

A jury in Ingham County Circuit Court delivered its verdict Nov. 6 following a trial that began on Oct. 21, court records indicate. The jury awarded Bashore a total of $17 million, including about $7.1 million for past economic and non-economic damages and the rest for future damages. 

In a prepared statement, Sparrow officials said the total award would be "significantly reduced by several million dollars in accordance with Michigan law."

"Patient safety and helping ensure the very best outcomes are always our top priority," Sparrow spokesman John Foren said in the statement. "This particular case was incredibly challenging, and our hearts go out to the patient and family."

Foren said Sparrow was "limited by pre-trial motions and appeal denials relating to supportive expert testimony" and is exploring its appeal options.

Bashore's attorneys said her injuries resulted from "a calamity of preventable errors by Sparrow providers." Nurses left surgical sheaths in her legs for too long, leading to a blood clot "that went down her left leg, turning it cold and blue," the lawyers said. 

Pridjian was called in to remove the clot but delayed surgery until the end of the day "as an add-on, elective procedure," the lawyers said. Their investigation showed that instead of bypassing the blockage, Pridjian over-inflated angioplasty balloons and stents, causing blood vessels to rupture and crack, they said.

That caused massive internal bleeding and poor blood flow to Bashore's spine and leg and ultimately caused the amputation four months later, the lawyer said.

"The jury's verdict held Sparrow and Dr. Pridjian accountable, assessing damages at 17 million dollars, money that will provide Ms. Bashore with the resources necessary for the care she requires and, to the extent possible, to promote recovery and improve the quality of her life."

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Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.