HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Robert Powell says he woke up with two black eyes, a split lip and a bruised jaw.
It is not the way any patient wants to come to after surgery but Powell says that was his predicament after an operation to repair a hernia.
The north Houston man says in August of last year his injuries came as the result of being allowed to slip from the operating table not once but twice during the procedure. Nearly, a year later Powell said he’s still suffering from the effects of the falls.
“I don’t have as much memory as I did before. My vocabulary has suffered,” he said. “I have chronic headaches.”
To complicate matters, Powell worked then and works now at the hospital he is now suing. The hospital is Houston Methodist’s Willowbrook facility, where Powell has served as a kitchen aide for the past five years.
The lawsuit says after he slipped the first time the surgical team “tied his legs to the operating table.” After slipping again the suit claims he hit the ground “smashing his head, shoulder, and face to the floor.”
“No one from Methodist has yet to come up to me and say anything,” said Powell. “It’s like they don’t even acknowledge the fact that I fell off the table.”
Powell and his lawyer are seeking damages for medical care and other expenses. But they say he also wants to send a message to his employer.
“I’m looking for them to focus on having better o.r. control over patients so this doesn’t happen again,” he said.
KPRC 2 reached out to Houston Methodist. We were told they do not typically respond to matters in litigation.
