Georgia native, Fernando Cluster, is suing a hospital in Atlanta for losing part of his skull. Per NBC, Cluster was admitted to the hospital back in September of 2022. He was suffering from an intracerebral hemorrhage (or "bleeding into the brain," put simply). According to the lawsuit, Cluster required emergency surgery to remove a portion of his skull. "They needed to remove part of his skull temporarily, in order to give his brain space to swell and heal," reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Reportedly, doctors removed a "12-by-15-centimeter bone flap with a plan to secure it back in place during a second surgery weeks later." However, when Cluster returned two months later for a follow-up operation, the hospital allegedly couldn't find the bone flap.
"When Emory's personnel went to retrieve the bone flap, 'there were several bone flaps with incomplete or missing patient identification' and therefore, Emory 'could not be certain which if any of these belonged to Mr. Cluster,'" the lawsuit specifies. Consequently, Cluster had to get a synthetic bone flap, requiring a longer stay at the hospital.
Allegedly, Cluster says that the synthetic bone flap caused an infection that required yet another surgery. Factoring in the synthetic bone flap, elongated hospital stay, and subsequent surgeries, Cluster was billed for $146,845.60. The lawsuit alleges that Cluster has been unable to work, his familial relationships have suffered, and he has permanent injuries "due to the hospital's negligence."
A Georgia Man Sues A Hospital For Losing A Piece Of His Skull
The lawsuit didn't specify the amount Cluster was seeking in compensation. However, he's "seeking both general and special damages." "We inspected the freezer where bone flaps are stored. And could not find a bone flap with Mr. Cluster's patient identification," read a note from the hospital's staff.
"There were several bone flaps with incomplete or missing patient identification. But we could not be certain which if any of these belonged to Mr. Cluster."
"While my clients are obviously upset that they and their insurance company were billed for the costs related to Emory's negligence. I'm sure you can understand that their focus is on the egregiousness of Emory losing a part of his body. And then having a flippant attitude about it afterwards," Cluster's attorney, Chloe Dallaire, would tell the Journal-Constitution.
