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TOM BERRY/Ledger & Times
Katrina Shank stands near a memorial to her husband, Robert “Bob” Shank III that has been placed in the living room of her home. Bob Shank died following gall bladder surgery while an inpatient at the Marion, Ill., Veterans Administration Hospital. |
Murray woman suing U.S. government
By The Associated Press
Two Kentucky widows are suing the U.S. government over surgical care they say killed their husbands at a southern Illinois Veterans Affairs hospital where surgeries were halted last year after a spike in patient deaths.
The lawsuits filed in federal court in East St. Louis on behalf of the widows of Robert Shank III and James Marshall seek a combined $22 million in damages. The suits, filed March 20 and April 29, respectively, name only the federal government, which runs the Veterans Affairs system that includes the Marion, Ill., hospital where the men were treated.
Both were patients of surgeon Jose Veizaga-Mendez, who resigned last August three days after 50-year-old Shank, of Murray, bled to death after gallbladder surgery. Marshall, 61, of Benton, Ky., died of a blood infection last July, six days after Veizaga-Mendez performed a lymph node biopsy, according to the lawsuits.
Katrina Shank seeks $12 million in damages, while Darla Marshall is suing for $10 million.
For complete story, see today's Ledger & Times
Story created May 30, 2008 - 13:05:30 EDT.
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