Ohio veteran sues hospital after surgeons amputate wrong leg, leaving her a double amputee

Key points

• Sharon Jacks filed a lawsuit in September 2026 alleging that surgeons at Selby General Hospital amputated her left leg instead of her right during a procedure for squamous cell carcinoma.
• Jacks later underwent the intended right-leg amputation at a separate facility, resulting in her becoming a double amputee below the knee.
• The lawsuit names nine defendants, including the hospital, Dr. Gregory Krivchenia, and other medical staff, accusing them of gross negligence, battery, and reckless conduct.
• Selby General Hospital acknowledged the incident as an 'avoidable event,' stating that standard operating room procedures were not followed and that involved staff are no longer employed there.
• The lawsuit claims the surgical team had multiple opportunities to identify the error, including during 'timeouts' and while preparing the surgical site, but failed to stop the procedure.

Background

This case highlights the severe consequences of wrong-site surgeries, a rare but critical medical error. While previous coverage in our archive has touched on amputation decisions for pain management, this case involves a procedural failure during a necessary cancer treatment. The incident has drawn attention to the effectiveness of surgical safety protocols, such as 'timeouts,' which are designed to verify patient identity, procedure, and site before surgery begins.

How outlets are covering it

NBC News and The New York Times report the core facts of the lawsuit and the hospital's admission of an 'avoidable event.' The Marietta Times provides additional detail on the legal strategy, noting that the lawsuit specifically alleges the team ignored multiple safety checks, including 'timeouts' and the placement of a tourniquet. WSYX emphasizes the attorney's statement that 'wrong-limb amputation should never happen,' framing the error as a 'catastrophe' caused by a 'complete and total failure' by multiple professionals. All sources agree on the outcome: Jacks is now a double amputee and the involved staff have been removed from their positions at Selby General Hospital.

Why it matters

This case underscores the critical importance of surgical safety protocols and the potential for catastrophic harm when these safeguards fail. It raises questions about hospital accountability and the long-term impact of medical errors on patients' quality of life, particularly for veterans and elderly patients undergoing necessary procedures for serious conditions like cancer.

What to watch

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages and has requested a jury trial. The hospital has stated it has retrained all surgical staff and implemented additional safety requirements. The case will likely proceed through the Ohio court system, with the outcome potentially setting a precedent for medical malpractice cases involving wrong-site surgeries.