A man went into a Florida hospital for a routine procedure and left 19 days later without arms or legs, according to a medical malpractice lawsuit he filed in 2021.
Tampa resident Chad Gerlaugh — a quadriplegic who prided himself on his independence — drove himself to the hospital in April 2019 for a scheduled kidney stone operation. Gerlaugh had become paralyzed after a car accident in 1998, and kidney stones were a recurring issue for him due to his catheter, per The Tampa Bay Times.
Gerlaugh, now 46, developed sepsis — an infection of the blood — during in-patient recovery, and doctors were eventually forced to amputate both of his legs above the knee, an arm above the elbow, and his other arm mid-forearm due to complications from the infection, per Pinellas County Circuit Court records pertaining to the lawsuit.
Prior to undergoing the amputations, Gerlaugh told the Times that he relied on his parents to help get him dressed in the morning, but other than that he lived quite independently.
“Being able to just jump in my van and go get coffee sounds like the simplest thing in the world,” he said. “But I remember being so thankful for what I was able to do.”
Now, however, he must rely on his parents to dress, eat, wash and go to the toilet.
“He was so independent,” his mother Joy told the Tampa Bay Times. “We can’t leave him; we can’t afford a nurse. So my husband and I just get through it the best way we can because we’re a family.”
In 2021, Gerlaugh filed a medical malpractice suit against Morton Plant Hospital and BayCare, the nonprofit that runs the hospital, as well as the doctor who oversaw his treatment and care.
In his suit, Gerlaugh and his attorney alleged that the doctor in charge of his care failed to “recognize septic shock” and neglected to order “appropriate lab and antibiotics” — among other complaints — per the court records.
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In a statement to the Times, Gerlaugh’s attorney, Steve Yerrid, said: “I hope to give this young man some accountability because it’s been years and this hospital needs to be held responsible. You go in for kidney stones and you come out without legs and arms? Give me a break.”
For their part, BayCare officials said in a statement to the outlet that Morton Plant Hospital is committed “to maintaining the highest standards of patient care possible.”
They added: “Our team makes patient safety a top priority and has carefully reviewed this patient’s journey to find any opportunities to learn from his experience.”
While the case was scheduled to go to trial in February 2025, the parties reached a settlement this week, per the Times.
PEOPLE reached out to Morton Plant Hospital of BayCare, as well as Gerlaugh’s attorney, for further information on Saturday, Feb. 8, but did not immediately receive a response.
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