Ed McMahon to sue hospital, party host

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-mcmahon.html


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ed McMahon, the long-time sidekick to talk show host Johnny Carson, sued a Los Angeles hospital on Friday, claiming its doctors failed to diagnose his broken neck after a fall and discharged him without taking an X-ray.

McMahon, 85, also accused Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of botching two subsequent spine operations, and the entertainer claims to have suffered months of discomfort and pain.

Simi Singer, a spokeswoman for Cedars-Sinai declined to comment because the hospital had not received the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

McMahon's lawsuit states that when he visited Cedars-Sinai after a March 2007 fall at the home of investor Robert Day he told a doctor he felt like a "bobble-head" doll because of his spine, but they still failed to perform an X-ray and as a result discharged him with a broken neck.

it's difficult to be a "Simi Singer" and a spokesperson for a hospital who is going to have to pay out a brazilian dollars. :rofl:

(p.s. I hope McMahon is okay)

if he isn't foreclosed on first.

Most Americans who go bankrupt do so because of medical bills.

since they could generally afford to be.

He is not suing for the medical bills being unpaid. If what they wrote is true--guess it will come out in the trial---then the surgeons used "off label screws" for his surgery...screws not meant to repair a cervical injury. Never approved by the FDA for cervical repairs. Lots of details in the filing.
I know the filing is made by HIS lawyer and only represents one side of the story, but **if** that is true and they didn't have his consent to use those off label screws, he may very well collect (IMHO).


Thing I don't get: if he became aware that Cedars misdiagnosed him in the first place (in the ER), why go back to ortho doctors who practice out of Cedars?? You think it would be the LAST place he would turn to after being told of the missed "broken neck" diagnosis.


Oh, and one other interesting thing buried in the papers: his claim of "elder abuse" means if someone or some institution is found guilty, it is considered a felony.

stair way.

http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0718_mcmahon1.pdf


It describes the "ramp" and thru out the papers lists everyone who is named in the suit....the people who owned the home, the doctors and the hospital, says that they used "off label" screws in the spinal surgery (not approved by the FDA for this kind of surgery or something like that so it looks like he is also going after the company that made the screws). The list goes on and on...deep pocket after deep pocket.
Says also the surgeon didn't address McMahon's osteoporosis and that interfered with the surgery results, also.


Interesting read.