Surgeon must pay former NHL prospect nearly $1.5 million in damages
 

An NHL prospect has been awarded nearly $1.5 million in damages due to the "high-handed, arrogant and oppressive" conduct of a surgeon who operated on his shoulder injury.

In 2003, Joshua Morrow, 19, was playing with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League and had been drafted by the NHL’s Nashville Predators. But his dreams of a career in pro hockey were snuffed out after he suffered the injury and was operated on by Dr. Ross Outerbridge, the Blazers’ orthopaedic surgeon.

B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Elizabeth Bennett says in her reasons for judgment that the surgeon made a serious mistake by leaving metal anchors or screws sticking up from the bone in Morrow’s shoulder. The metal screws frayed the cartilage they came into contact with and severely damaged the shoulder. In February 2003, a surgeon with the Predators noticed Morrow was developing arthritis.

Morrow returned to see Outerbridge, but the surgeon “did not address the situation,” said Bennett in her ruling released Thursday.

She said Morrow’s injuries were worsened by Outerbridge's negligence and granted the former hockey player aggravated damages but stopped short of punitive damages.

Morrow’s play with the Blazers deteriorated after the surgery and he favoured the shoulder and could not go into corners. He was traded to a WHL team in Cranbrook but was cut before the playoffs and never played hockey again.

Morrow “suffered humiliation and great loss when his hockey career came to an abrupt end because he could no longer play with his damaged shoulder,” said the judge.

“He suffered personally when it was apparent to him that no one believed that he was injured when he was playing in Kamloops.”

Morrow can no longer play many of the sports he formerly enjoyed and is “bound to go from an extremely active, physical life to one that is primarily sedentary,” she noted.

The judge awarded him $200,000 for general damages and $35,000 for aggravated damages. He’ll get an award for future wage loss in the range of $800,000 though the figure is not yet finalized and past wage loss of $400,000, though the figure again is not final.

Morrow will also get $20,000 in special damages and an award for future care is to be determined at a later date. Outerbridge, who in addition to working with the Blazers has been the surgeon for the National Water Ski team and has travelled to international sporting events, could not be reached.
http://www.theprovince.com/Travel/Su...658/story.html

damn, that sucks

Damn man, no amount of money can fix that.

"B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Elizabeth Bennett says in her reasons for judgment that the surgeon made a serious mistake by leaving metal anchors or screws sticking up from the bone in Morrow’s shoulder. The metal screws frayed the cartilage they came into contact with and severely damaged the shoulder."

man that's nasty

$1.5 million? Are you kidding me? Some pro hockey players make that in 2 months... Thats bullshit!!! This kid was already drafted, he had a bright future ahead of him..

there is no way 1.5million is enough!

a shoulder for a shoulder..
fuck the surgeons shoulder up

money cant solve a problem like this

wtf

life ruined.............

^ why? he just lives like the rest of us now. my life doesnt suck because i cant play pro hockey

Fuck his job up too.

You didn't spend your whole life prior to that playing hockey either.

1.5mil? LOL is this a joke?

that's like one year of his contract...fucking weaksauce judges

Ok, you don't get it.

Imagine you spend 10+ years, countless hardwork, thousands of dollars, to get a med degree which is always something you loved doing. Finally, you get a job as a doctor.

Okay, now someone takes that away from you. Do you feel that your life is ruined?

took away his livelihood

the difference is that you COULDN'T be a pro hockey player. This kids whole life revolved around hockey, and that has been snatched away from him. And he is stuck with his fucked up shoulder the rest of his life. That can have an effect on many sports and activities that he may want to partake in.

btw, i don't know about you, but most of us don't have arthritis when we're 19 years old either.

1.5 mil is pretty tasty though ;)

1.5 for his career gg

ARE YOU EFFING SERIOUS???

you my friend are either the dumbest smart person ever or just the dumbest person ever.

I don't think that's a safe assumption to make.

I mean... out of all the people that are drafted, how many actually make it to the NHL? I don't know the answer, but I'm assuming it's a fairly small percentage.

This is the NHL, where being drafted most likely means you get to take the bus on road trips to some boonie town for a farm team for your entire short lived career. This guy was drafted in the 7th round, 203 overall. Think about it. 211 players get drafted every year.

Don't forget, it's not like he can't work at all.

Yeah but it goes much further than that. The doctor's gross negligence has tremendously diminished his quality of life for good.

Just to give you an example:

Drafted: Year: 1999 Round: 7 Pick: 210, Red Wings

I'm pretty sure you know who..If you don't know what it means then.. LOL


He might have been an all-star, might have been a normal NHL player or might have been a dud. I'm pretty sure even if he makes it on an NHL team bench-warming, he'll make more then 1.5mil in his lifetime :)

Yeah, $1.5 mill is not a enough. This guy would have made way more if he even signed a entry level deal.

that's shitty to hear, i wonder how pissed off he must be with the career he could've had