Longfellow v. Vernon

105 N.E. 178, 57 Ind. App. 611, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 159
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 15, 1914
DocketNo. 8,246
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 105 N.E. 178 (Longfellow v. Vernon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Longfellow v. Vernon, 105 N.E. 178, 57 Ind. App. 611, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 159 (Ind. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

Felt, J.

This is a suit for damages brought by appellee against appellants for alleged malpractice. The complaint was in six paragraphs, each of which was answered by general denial. The case was tried by a jury and a verdict of $2,500 was returned against appellants, with answers to certain interrogatories. Appellants’ motion for judgment on the answers of the jury to the interrogatories, notwithstanding the general verdict, and their motion for a new trial, were overruled, and judgment was rendered on the verdict. Prom this judgment appellants appeal and assign as error the overruling of their separate demurrers to each paragraph of the complaint, overruling the motion for judgment on the answers to the interrogatories and their motion for a new trial.

1. The gist of the first paragraph of the complaint is that on October 16, 1905, and prior thereto, the appellants were engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery, as partners, in the town of Tipton, and held themselves out as competent and skilful physicians and surgeons; that on that day appellee, Mary L. Vernon, was five years of age, in good health and free from disease and injuries of any kind; that on said day she slipped and injured her right leg and ankle below the knee; that in the afternoon of October 17, 1905, appellants were called to treat the injured limb and undertook so to do; that they carelessly, negligent[616]*616ly, unskilfully and ignorantly treated the limb, in this, that they and each of them carelessly, negligently and ignorantly failed and refused to make a proper diagnosis of the injury; that the bone of the leg near the ankle joint was split, which fact could have been easily and readily ascertained by the use of ordinary skill and care; that appellants failed to use ordinary care and skill and carelessly and negligently failed to learn the true condition of the limb and diagnosed the injury as a mere sprain and negligently failed to properly bandage and treat the limb; that appellants saw appellee a number of times prior to October 20, 1905, and she was at such times suffering severe pain in said limb and the same was very sore and greatly swollen, but notwithstanding said facts appellants carelessly, negligently and ignorantly failed to make a careful examination of the limb until October 20, 1905, and failed to use ordinary care to make an ordinary examination of the limb to ascertain the nature of the injury and the cause of appellee’s suffering, all of which could have been easily done by ordinary diligence, care and skill in making an ordinary examination of appellee’s limb and injuries; that by reason of the negligence, carelessness and ignorance of appellants and their failure to exercise ordinary care and skill in diagnosing the injury and treating the limb, the bone became diseased, blood poison set in and mortification began and the limb steadily grew worse and said condition spread over appellee’s entire body; that by reason of the negligence and carelessness of appellants aforesaid, appellee became so diseased and affected that an operation was necessary to save her life, which operation took place on February 2Í, 1906; that a part of the bone between the knee and the foot was removed, the bone of her right shoulder had to be scraped and portions thereof removed; that her entire system was inoculated with septic poison and she was caused to suffer great pain and anguish of body and mind and is thereby permanently injured and crippled and will continue to [617]*617suffer the remainder of her life all on account of the aforesaid negligence and want of skill, care and proper treatment on the part of the appellants to appellee’s damage in the sum of $25,000.

The general averments of the second paragraph of complaint are substantially the same as those of the first, but it is especially averred that appellants carelessly, negligently and ignorantly used ordinary gasoline to remove from appellee’s limb an adhesive bandage or plaster; that the limb was swollen and badly inflamed and by the use of the gasoline and the negligent failure of the appellants to properly cleanse the same, the limb became sore, blistered and irritated to such an extent as to produce blood poison with the results aforesaid.

The third paragraph contains the same general allegations as the first paragraph and specially charges that on October 20, 1905, appellants carelessly, ignorantly, negligently and unskilfully placed the limb, which was then sore, swollen, tender and inflamed, in a plaster of Paris cast, and negligently made the same so tight as to greatly impede and stop circulation; that because of said treatment mortification set in and a septic condition and blood poisoning resulted, extending throughout her whole body; that appellee was thereby thrown into spasms; her temperature reached 106 degrees, and on October 21, 1905, the east had to be removed; that thereafter as a result of such treatment, in order to save her life, appellee underwent a dangerous and painful operation which is described as in the other paragraphs.

The fourth paragraph charges negligence in failing to diagnose properly the case, and combines the specific averments of the second and third paragraphs as to the use of gasoline and the tight bandage.

The fifth paragraph contains the same general averments as the first. It charges a negligent failure to diagnose properly the case and also alleges a dislocation of the [618]*618right hip which caused pain in the lower limb, and alleges substantially the same general conditions and results as are charged in the other paragraphs.

The sixth paragraph charges a negligent failure to diagnose the injury which is alleged to have been a dislocation of the right hip. It also makes substantially the same averments as to the tight bandage and the use of gasoline as other paragraphs and charges that appellant scraped the blistered limb with finger nails and unclean and poisonous instruments which produced blood poison.

Each of the paragraphs states a cause of action.

The substance of the answers of the jury to the interrogatories as far as material to the questions presented is as follows: That appellee a girl six years of age was injured on the afternoon of Monday, October 16, 1905, and the following night and day complained of severe pain in her right ankle and foot; that appellant, McKee, was called to see her about 5 pan. the next day and was informed by the mother of appellee that the child had fallen or had been struck on the ankle the day before and had been suffering severe pain in her limb; that she wanted to know whether there was a sprain or some other injury to the bone or joint; that said McKee did not make an examination of the foot and ankle at that time, but advised the mother to continue to make hot applications to the limb as she had been doing; that the mother called appellant, McKee, again on Wednesday evening the 18th, and he found appellee still suffering severe pain; that later, on the same evening, both appellants called to see appellee and made some examination of her foot and ankle and put on some adhesive strips; that appellant, McKee, called the next morning and learned that appellee had continued to suffer greatly and was still restless and suffering intensely; that her suffering continued through Thursday and Thursday night, and appellant, Longfellow, was again called in on Friday morning; that about 9 a ,m. of the same day both appellants saw appellee; that it was at [619]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
105 N.E. 178, 57 Ind. App. 611, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/longfellow-v-vernon-indctapp-1914.