Salem youth wins lawsuit against University Hospitals and Clinics

IOWA CITY (AP) ? The state of Iowa has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle a lawsuit involving a Salem girl who had a leg amputated and will need a brace to walk for the rest of her life after complications from a surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC).

The Iowa Appeals Board last week approved the payment to settle the case involving Katelyn Pearson, now 16, of Salem. Court documents say she was 11 years old in 2007 when she underwent extensive surgery to treat a painful intestinal condition.

Her attorneys alleged in a lawsuit filed in Johnson County that the girl?s legs were elevated for more than 11 hours in operative stirrups during the surgery and she complained of leg discomfort and numbness. They say she became afflicted with a condition known as compartment syndrome, which caused significant damage to the tissue in her lower legs.

Days after her surgery, her lower right leg had to be amputated while damaged tissue has to be removed from her left leg. Her attorneys say she has suffered a permanent foot drop of her left leg that requires her to wear an ankle brace to walk. For her right leg, she has been forced to wear a prosthetic device.

A lawsuit filed by her mother, Jolyne Crossett, in 2009 on her behalf alleged that UIHC personnel were negligent and gave her ?incomplete, inadequate and inappropriate medical and hospital treatment.?

The lawsuit claimed UIHC employees failed to prevent the injuries to her legs during the surgery and failed to diagnose and treat the compartment syndrome in a timely fashion, which could have prevented the amputation.

The lawsuit sought damages for the loss of the function of her legs, past and future pain and suffering, future medical expenses and the loss of earning capacity.

Attorneys representing the state and UIHC denied the allegations of negligence, but records show the Iowa Attorney General?s Office recommended the settlement of the case before a trial that was scheduled in September.

Court records show at least 30 percent of the settlement will go to attorneys who took the case on a contingency basis.