$3,000 fine for Austrian surgeon who amputated wrong leg

Robert Besser
07 Dec 2021, 00:07 GMT+10

An Austrian surgeon who amputated the wrong leg of an 82-year-old patient was fined $3,050.
The surgeon later said that she realized the mistake two days after the surgery.
A court spokesperson in Linz told The Guardian that half of the fine was suspended for the 43-year-old surgeon.

VIENNA, Austria: A surgeon who amputated the wrong leg of an 82-year-old patient in May, later describing the mistake as "human error," was found guilty of gross negligence by an Austrian court and fined $3,050.

The surgeon later said that she realized the mistake two days after the surgery, The Guardian reported.

A court spokesperson in Linz told The Guardian that half of the fine was suspended for the 43-year-old surgeon.

CNN earlier reported that the patient was suffering from multiple medical conditions that affected both his legs, and still needed the correct leg to be amputated after the botched operation.

In a statement, the Freistadt Clinic told CNN, "A disastrous combination of circumstances led to the patient's right leg being amputated, instead of his left."

The patient died before the case came before a judge, and the court awarded his widow $5,655 in damages, plus interest.

The surgeon has since taken a position at another clinic.

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