In a lawsuit against Enloe Medical Center, a Chico man claims that physicians failed to diagnose his kidney failure.
In December, Edward Schermerhorn was admitted to Enloe Medical Center for blood work. Schermerhorn claims that the results, which showed nothing was wrong, were incorrect and actually indicated kidney failure, according to Butte County court records.
A month later, Schermerhorn was also treated at Ampla Health. Physicians at Ampla took a blood sample and did not report any illness. Schermerhorn claims that Ampla Health also missed the kidney failure.
As a result, Schermerhorn was not treated for kidney failure. He claims this resulted in worsening kidney failure and permanent physical damage.
Schermerhorn claims to continue to require the care of hospitals, physicians, surgeons and other health care providers. He does not yet know the value of services now or as they continue into the future. According to the suit, his condition has caused him to lose work and he will continue to be unable to work for an indefinite amount of time into the future.
The suit seeks general and special damages, compensation for current and future health fees, compensation for loss of employment, compensation for costs of the suit, and other compensation as the court sees fit.
A court hearing is scheduled for May of next year.
Enloe Medical Center was unavailable for comment about the lawsuit and has not filed a response to Schermerhorn’s suit.
--By Michael Fritz