War Vet Gets $6.3M After Prostate Surgery Causes Leg Amputation

ELGIN, IL — A war veteran who underwent a"fairly routine" prostate cancer surgery and ended up having his leg amputated in the aftermath has won a malpractice lawsuit and been awarded $6.3 million, his attorney told the Daily Herald. Bill Hein, 71, of Elgin, underwent the surgery at Sherman Hospital in June 2012. Hein, a Vietnam War veteran, complained of numbness in his left leg following the surgery and nurses told him it was discomfort from the operation, according to the Daily Herald.

The following day a doctor ordered the wrong type of test for Hein's leg and another doctor, who was called in to check on his leg, ordered another test but did not request the results immediately. Hein's attorney said a vascular surgeon should have also been called to examine the leg, which would have meant the necessary tests were expedited and he could have been prepped for emergency surgery to save the leg. After trying for 12 days to save the leg, it was amputated above Hein's knee, according to the Daily Herald.

The $6.3 million awarded to Hein, who is in remission from his cancer, is believed to be the largest of its kind in the county, the newspaper reports.

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