Sharon Jacks, an Ohio resident, is suing Selby General Hospital and her surgical team after allegedly waking from a cancer-related procedure to find her left leg amputated instead of her right. The lawsuit claims the error turned a single below-the-knee amputation into a double amputation, a mistake the hospital has acknowledged as an avoidable event.
Jacks was scheduled for a below-the-knee amputation of her right leg on Sept. 19, 2025, at the hospital in Marietta, Ohio, due to cancer in that limb. According to the legal filing, she woke from anesthesia with her left leg missing. Her attorney, Brad Layne, told WBNS that the surgeon initially marked the correct leg, but the wrong limb was removed. Layne stated that the mark remained on the right leg even after the left leg had been cut off. The right leg, which was originally intended for removal due to the cancer, was subsequently amputated as well, leaving Jacks without either leg.
The complaint accuses Selby General Hospital, the surgeon, and other members of the surgical team of a complete failure of basic safety procedures. Layne argued that despite two pre-operative "time-outs," a standard protocol used to verify patient identity and surgical site, the team failed to stop the procedure. He noted that medical records indicate these verification steps were performed twice but did not prevent the error. Layne described the incident as a "never event," a term used in healthcare for serious preventable mistakes.
Selby General Hospital confirmed an adverse surgical event occurred in September 2025. In a statement to WBNS, the hospital said its review confirmed the incident was avoidable and that expected operating room procedures were not followed. The hospital stated that those involved were held accountable and are no longer in their positions. The institution said it cooperated with a review by the Ohio Department of Health, which confirmed its surgical protocols are safe and effective. The hospital added that corrective measures have been implemented to prevent recurrence.
Jacks' lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages to address her medical costs, both past and future. The filing also aims to compensate for her physical pain, emotional distress, permanent disability, and reduced quality of life. Layne said there is no excuse for the catastrophe and that Jacks must now live with the consequences of those failures for the rest of her life.