Ohio woman becomes double amputee after surgeon removes wrong leg

Summarised from 6 outlets · Updated 2 Oct, 14:55 · Archive

An Ohio woman is suing a hospital after surgeons allegedly removed her left leg instead of her right during a scheduled amputation procedure.

Sharon Jacks, a 74-year-old Ohio woman from Meigs County, is suing Selby General Hospital after undergoing a scheduled below-the-knee amputation procedure in September 2025. According to her lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Washington County Court in Marietta, surgeons allegedly removed her left leg instead of her right leg during the operation.

Jacks attended the hospital for a planned amputation of her right leg as part of her cancer treatment. Her lawyer states that she went into surgery and woke to discover that the wrong leg had been removed, leaving her a double amputee.

The alleged surgical error has been described as a 'catastrophe' by those familiar with the case. Such wrong-site surgeries represent a serious medical error that should be prevented through standard surgical protocols and verification procedures.

The lawsuit seeks accountability for the hospital and compensation for the damages sustained by Jacks as a result of the alleged mistake. The case raises questions about the hospital's safety procedures and checks in place to prevent such errors from occurring during surgical operations.

How it is being reported

• Ohio woman sues hospital for allegedly amputating wrong leg during surgerySharon Jacks, 74, alleges hospital removed left leg instead of her right during below-the-knee amputation in 2025 An Ohio woman is suing a hospital after doctors allegedly amputated the wrong leg during a scheduled operation last year. Sharon Jacks, 74, of Meigs county, alleged that she went to Selby general hospital in September 2025 to undergo a planned below-the-knee amputation of her right leg. Instead doctors removed her left leg during the procedure, according to the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month in Washington county court in Marietta, where the hospital is based.…The Guardian · 30 Sept, 22:47
• Woman who had wrong leg amputated during surgery for cancer treatment sues hospital‘She went into surgery and, when she woke up, the wrong leg had been taken off,’ Sharon Jacks’ lawyer saysIndependent World · 30 Sept, 11:57
• Woman has both legs amputated 'after surgeon mixes up left and right' as surgery goes 'catastrophically wrong'A medical 'catastrophe' took place when Sharon Jacks, 74, went into hospital for a planned operation on her right leg, but woke from surgery with both her limbs goneThe Mirror · 30 Sept, 08:51
• Ohio cancer patient sues hospital after surgeon allegedly amputated wrong legAn Ohio woman is now a double amputee after her surgeon allegedly chopped off the wrong leg when she underwent a required amputation procedure.Fox News · 30 Sept, 07:49
• Cancer patient sues hospital after surgeon allegedly amputated wrong leg: ‘Defies explanation’Ohio cancer patient Sharon Jacks is suing Selby General Hospital after surgeons allegedly amputated her wrong leg.New York Post · 30 Sept, 02:11
• Horrific hospital blunder as surgeons amputate the WRONG leg forcing woman to become double amputee, lawsuit claimsAn Ohio woman is a victim of a double amputation after her surgeon allegedly mistook her right leg for her left.Daily Mail · 29 Sept, 20:11

In this story: Sharon Jacks · Selby General Hospital · Ohio · Meigs County · Washington County Court · Marietta

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log