Army vet, 74, sues hospital after surgeon allegedly amputates wrong leg
An army veteran undergoing a leg amputation due to cancer woke up to the devastating realization surgeons had allegedly removed the wrong leg.
Sharon Jacks, from Ohio, is now suing Selby General Hospital over the life-altering mistake, which has now left her a double amputee.
According to the lawsuit, the 74-year-old made the difficult decision to have her right leg amputated from below the knee as part of treatment for squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
"It wasn’t easy in and of itself to do that, and prior to the surgery, from what I can determine, everything was checked off as to the correct leg. It was marked the correct leg. Everything seemed to be in order," Brad Layne, the Jacks family attorney, told WBNS.
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Jacks was admitted to Selby General Hospital in September 2025 due to a 'chronic venous stasis ulcer', which means a 'wound that takes longer than usual to heal', due to 'vein and blood flow issues' which 'often occur on your legs near your ankle', according to the Cleveland Clinic.
After being evaluated by hospital staff, it was 'determined that a below-knee amputation of the RIGHT lower extremity would be performed', and when Jacks agreed, the surgical schedule 'identified the planned procedure as a right below-knee amputation'.
However, according to Layne, the cancer patient went into surgery 'and when she woke up, the wrong leg had been taken off'.
The attorney added: "It defies explanation, obviously."
The surgeon who performed the amputation, the hospital and other members of the surgical team are all named in the lawsuit, which accuses them of 'a complete failure of basic safety procedures'.
In a press release, Layne said: "Despite several opportunities to identify the mistake and stop the procedure, the surgical team somehow never noticed they were operating on the wrong leg.
"Now every day for the rest of her life, Sharon Jacks must live with the consequences of those failures."
The suit even claims that medical records indicate the right leg was marked, and yet the wrong leg was still amputated.
Jacks' husband, Dannie Jacks, has now been forced to quit his job to take care of her as she 'couldn't be left home as a double amputee'.
Her attorney added: "Every day is a struggle. She has to transport herself from a board to a wheelchair just to get to the bathroom or to get into the bed or to change clothes or to go anywhere."
Selby General Hospital has confirmed that an 'adverse surgical event' took place in September 2025, however, it claims the surgical team 'responded immediately to address the medical needs of the patient involved and provide support to their family'.
In a statement, it added: "Our proactive review of what took place confirmed this was an avoidable event, and that our expected operating room procedures were not followed. Those involved were held accountable for their actions and are no longer in their positions.
"We are saddened by what occurred, and our team continues to keep this patient and their family in our prayers."
Emma Rosemurgey