Friday, Jan 26, 2007

Bonnie Valle lived the last seven years of her life with a towel the size of a large hand towel lodged behind her left lung. The towel was discovered upon autopsy and had been left there during a 1995 surgery for emphysema.

Valle complained of chest pains for seven years after her surgery, saying she felt there was something in her body pressing on her lungs.

The hospital claimed the woman suffered no ill health effects from the towel and the judge dismissed claims against the doctor. The family settled with the hospital for an undisclosed sum.

This unaccountable doctor made the following statement in 2004 after the media reported on the case:

"She lived seven years ... which is certainly as well as one would have expected her to survive given her severe emphysema and poor pulmonary function and overall condition."

What exactly would have made this doctor accountable? Leaving a beach towel in the woman's body?

Family of Woman Who Lived with Towel Inside Body Settles Lawsuit

Original story in 2004:
Towel Found In Dead Woman's Body

Filed under: Medical Mistakes | Comments (1)

Tuesday, Dec 26, 2006

A dolphin seriously injured a 27 year old woman when it leapt out of the water and hit her while she was sitting in the bow of a boat. She is in serious condition but the dolphin was not hurt. Apparently he just didn't see the boat.

"I've never heard of a dolphin hitting someone on a boat. You can't even catch them on lures when you go gamefishing. They're too smart."

Leaping dolphin leaves woman seriously injured

Filed under: Fish Gone Wild | Comments (0)

Sunday, Oct 29, 2006

A Roseville, California woman was trapped under her refrigerator for four days. It fell on her when she opened the door, apparently because it was top-heavy with food in the freezer.

Luckily by the fourth day, Greg Allen, a politician running for the Placer County Water Board, heard Inga's call for help while going door-to-door campaigning. He found an unlocked door and ran in to save Inga's life.

Read the full story and see a video of the woman at the link below.

California Woman Trapped Under Fridge For 4 Days

Filed under: Freak Accidents | Comments (1)

Thursday, Oct 19, 2006

After what happened to "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, this story is really unbelievable. James Bertakis, 81, of Lighthouse Point, Florida was in a boat with his granddaughters when a stingray flopped into the boat and stung him.

The barb pierced his lung and entered the left ventricle of his heart. Doctors have been able to remove it by pulling the barb through and have repaired the holes. Right now he's stable and his heart is functioning well.

Carl Luer, senior scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, who studies sharks and rays, said spotted eagle rays often jump completely out of the water, although no one is sure why. "It can be very dramatic," he said.

That is certainly an understatement.

Stingray Jumps Aboard Boat, Stabs Man in Chest

Fla. Boater Stabbed in Chest by Stingray

Filed under: Fish Gone Wild | Comments (0)

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2006

A member of the Flying Elvi, a team of skydiving Elvis impersonators, broke his pelvis while skydiving with the team at the grand opening of the Glacier Parks Casino in Wisconsin.

Other members of the troupe said the Las Vegas man apparently misjudged the landing and hit the ground at 50 mph.

'Flying Elvis' Suffers Broken Pelvis

Filed under: Freak Accidents | Comments (0)