A 74-year-old woman, Sharon Jacks, is suing Selby General Hospital after surgeons removed the wrong leg during a September 2025 cancer operation, leaving her a double amputee. Her attorney says the correct leg was marked before surgery and records show verification checks were recorded during the procedure. Four months later the intended leg was amputated; the lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages. The hospital says procedures were not followed, the staff involved were removed from their roles, and mandatory retraining has been implemented.
74-Year-Old Sues After Hospital Removes Wrong Leg in Cancer Surgery, Leaving Her a Double Amputee
Woman who had wrong leg amputated during surgery for cancer treatment sues hospital
A 74-year-old patient, Sharon Jacks, has filed a lawsuit after surgeons at Selby General Hospital in Marietta, Ohio, removed the wrong leg during a September 2025 operation intended to treat cancer, leaving her a double amputee.
According to Jacks's attorney, Brad Layne, the surgery was meant to remove Jacks’s lower right leg as part of treatment for squamous cell carcinoma. Layne told The New York Times that the lower left leg was removed instead. He said the correct leg had been marked prior to surgery and that the mark remained on the intended (right) leg even after the wrong limb was amputated.
Sharon Jacks is suing a Marietta, Ohio, hospital after they removed the wrong leg, causing her to need a second surgery. That left her as a double amputee (YouTube/WBNS 10TV)
Layne told WBNS 10TV that operative records indicate checks were performed during the procedure to verify the operation’s details. “She went into surgery and, when she woke up, the wrong leg had been taken off,” he said. “Every person in that operating room is responsible to make sure that is verified before moving forward.” The records, he added, showed those verifications were recorded twice.
Four months later, Layne said, Jacks underwent a second operation in which the originally intended right leg was removed. The combination of both surgeries left her a double amputee.
Jacks is suing Selby General Hospital. The hospital says that the team who operated on Jacks has been removed from their positions (Memorial Health System)
The lawsuit filed against Selby General Hospital — part of Memorial Health System — and the surgical team alleges physical injury, permanent disability, ongoing medical expenses, humiliation and severe emotional distress. Layne has said the complaint seeks both punitive and compensatory damages.
In a statement provided to WBNS 10TV, Selby General acknowledged that operating room procedures were not followed and described the incident as an avoidable event. “Our proactive review of what took place confirmed this was an avoidable event and that our expected operating room procedures were not followed,” the hospital said. “Those involved were held accountable for their actions and are no longer in their positions.”
The hospital also said it has implemented corrective measures across the organization, including mandatory retraining of surgical staff to reinforce patient safety policies. The Independent and legal representatives at Kayser, Layne & Clark were contacted for comment.
Timeline
- September 2025: Wrong leg (left) removed during operation intended to remove the right leg.
- Four months later: Correct (right) leg removed in a second surgery.
- Lawsuit filed alleging multiple failures by medical staff and seeking damages.
“Complete and total failure by multiple medical professionals caused this catastrophe,” Layne said in a statement obtained by WCHS. “Now every day for the rest of her life, Sharon Jacks must live with the consequences of those failures.”
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