EDWARDSVILLE - The guardian of a disabled person is suing a chiropractor over allegations of medical malpractice.
Cheri Hayes, as guardian of Michelle Wolf, filed suit on Feb. 28 in Madison County Circuit Court against Bemis Tupman Chiropractic in Glen Carbon.
The suit centers on a visit by Wolf to the practice on April 8, 2018, to seek treatment for neck and upper back pain.
According to the suit, the chiropractor was unable to perform an orthopedic examination because the patient was suffering from severe pain and a decrease in the range of motion of the cervical spine.
The plaintiff alleges the center carried out an adjustment on the patient's cervical spine but did not perform a vascular assessment, including checking blood pressure and pulse.
On April 11, 2018, the patient again went to the practice for treatment during which an adjustment was again performed.
Following the visit, Wolf reportedly experienced "head and ear fullness" as well as numbness in her right arm, right leg, and left side of the face.
She was transferred to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis where vertebral artery dissection was diagnosed. Doctors also discovered that the patient suffered a stroke. The suit states that several more strokes followed.
According to the complaint, Wolf suffered "severe and permanent" damage from multiple strokes.
The suit alleges medical malpractice for the alleged failure to properly plan and prepare for the adjustments, for injuring Wolf's vertebral artery, for not performing a vascular assessment, and not properly diagnosing and treating the patient.
Hayes, as guardian, and Wolf individually, are seeking more than $50,000 in damages. They are represented by Zachary R. Pancoast of Rossiter & Boock of St. Louis.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 2020-L-267