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| Saturday, September 02, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Jury awards $1.2 million to Las Vegas man By Peter O'Connell
Review-Journal A District Court jury on Friday awarded $1.2 million to a Las Vegas man who said permanent damage to his leg was attributable to a doctor's failure to diagnose a bone fracture in a timely manner.
After deliberating for more than one full working day, jurors found that Dr. Ascar Egtedar was negligent in his treatment of Matthew Fowler.
Jurors also concluded that this negligence caused permanent damage to Fowler's right leg.
Included in the award was $812,500 for future pain and suffering.
Attorney Bob Vannah, who represents Fowler, said his client was injured while driving a motorcycle in June 1993. "It was a bad accident," he said.
He said Fowler was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, where he endured a 5 1/2-hour surgery intended to save his right leg from amputation.
In the lawsuit, Fowler contended that Egtedar, an orthopedic trauma surgeon, should have diagnosed a leg fracture at that time.
Instead, the fracture was discovered three months later, and emergency surgery was required at that time, Vannah said.
The attorney said the flow of blood through an artery in the leg was impeded during the surgery, a development that went undetected for one day.
"By then, he had permanent loss of nerve function below the right knee," Vannah said.
Opening statements were Aug. 2. Jurors began deliberating early Thursday afternoon, and returned their verdict about 4 p.m. Friday.
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