$16 Million Awarded to Woman Who Lost 3 Limbs

A woman was awarded $16 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit against Latter Day Saints (LDS) Hospital in Salt Lake City after contracting flesh-eating bacteria that lead to the amputation of three of her limbs.

Lisa Speckman lost her legs, right arm, and finger after contracting necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacterial infection. Speckman claims she contracted the infection while receiving post-natal care at the hospital after giving birth to her baby in 2005. Her reproductive organs, gall bladder, and most of her large intestine were also removed.

According to the lawsuit, Speckman is claiming the hospital doctors' negligent care lead to the debilitating infection.  Speckman said the hospital staff failed to diagnose and treat indications of the infection before her daughter was born. She also claims the hospital staff did not properly diagnose or treat a new infection that produced the flesh-eating condition following a Caesarean section.

Speckman and her attorneys sought damages and financial compensation to cover a lifetime of care. Speckman will need life-long treatment to care for her permanent and disabling injuries due to the medical malpractice incident.

Attorneys for LDS Hospital, Intermountain Health Care, and the doctors and nurses involved in the lawsuit deny any wrongdoing.

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