The award is one of the biggest ever in Berks County: The plaintiff lost both legs after having a corn removed from his toe.
A Berks County Court jury awarded more than $2 million to a man who had to have both his legs amputated after suffering infections following removal of a corn from the little toe of his right foot.
The award is one of the largest in county court history, officials said.
Donald Davis Sr., 59, of North Wales, Montgomery County, filed suit in 2002 alleging Dr. Therese M. Rinaldi, a Pottstown-based podiatrist, did not review his medical records before removing a corn from his toe on September 27, 2000, at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center.
Davis was later treated by a surgeon at the Pottstown hospital before transferring to St.
Joseph Medical Center, where he was treated by a second surgeon.
Both surgeons and both hospitals originally were named in the suit, but Senior Judge
Albert A. Stallone dismissed them from the case before the two-week trial started.
Davis’ attorney, Richard M. Golomb of Philadelphia, said the jury deliberated for a day and a half before reaching a verdict.
Rinaldi’s attorney, Alan S. Gold of Philadelphia, said he plans to appeal.
The jury’s gross award to Davis was $3.4 million, but they found that he was 40 percent responsible for the loss of his legs and arrived at a final amount of $2,068,687, court records show.
According to the records: When Davis first visited Rinaldi he didn’t tell her that he had circulation problems in his legs.
After the toe surgery Davis developed an infection and eventually gangrene. Rinaldi then referred him to a vascular surgeon.
After numerous procedures at the Pottstown hospital to improve Davis’ circulation, he developed staph infections.
He was later treated for sores on both legs at St. Joseph before doctors had to amputate his right leg above the knee and his left leg below the knee.
