Granite City womans seeks millions in alleged negligent amputation

A Granite City woman whose right leg was amputated filed a medical malpractice case against Sana Ullah, M.D., Healthline Management and Heartland Emergency Services.

In the complaint filed Nov. 30 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, Rhonda Lee Lane claims she fell and suffered an anterior dislocation of her right tibia and fibula and was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in East St. Louis (now known as Kenneth Hall Hospital) for treatment on Dec. 3, 2003.

According to the complaint, Dr. Ullah, an employee of Healthline and Heartland, examined and treated her. Lane was then transferred to St. Louis University Hospital for vascular studies and surgery.

"As a result of Lane's dislocated right knee, she developed vascular ischemia in her right lower extremity rendering her right lower extremity dysvascular," the complaint states.

Lane claims that on Dec. 4, her right leg was amputated above the knee by physicians at St. Louis University Hospital.

Lane claims that St. Mary's did not maintain vascular testing equipment or surgeons on staff and Ullah knew it.

Ullah failed to diagnose the vascular ischemia that developed in her right leg, failed to monitor the progress of the vascular condition and failed to treat the vascular ischemia in her right leg, the complaint states.

Lane claims Ullah carelessly and negligently failed to refer her for timely assessment and treatment at a medical facility that has the capability to treat her condition when he should have known her condition required immediate referral and transportation to a hospital that had the ability to treat it.

According to Lane, she sustained damages including past medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of a normal life, disability, depression and an increased risk of future harm and lost wages.

Lane also claims she was compelled to seek and obtain medical care, hospital care, and nursing home care obligating her to pay $255,000 and in the future will become liable for additional care exceeding $1.5 million.

She also claims she has lost wages of $20,000 and will continue to suffer a wage loss in excess of $240,000.

Lane is represented by Stephen Evans of St. Louis and James Herd of Deeba Sauter Herd of St. Louis.

05 L 694 (20th Circuit)