The alleged victim is said to have first read about the case in the media - only to be told a few months later by police that it was him the teenage girl was said to have helped operate on.

An Austrian surgeon allegedly let his teenage daughter drill a hole in a patient’s skull.

Following a forestry accident in January, a 33-year-old man was flown by air ambulance to Graz University Hospital, Styria, southeastern Austria, with serious head injuries, according to Kronen Zeitung, an Austrian newspaper.

He needed emergency surgery, but the doctor allegedly let his 13-year-old daughter take part in operating on him.

The newspaper reported that she even drilled a hole in the patient’s skull.

While the operation was said to have gone off without issue, the patient is still unable to work and investigations by the Graz public prosecutor’s officer against the entire surgical team are continuing.

It wasn’t until April that an anonymous complaint was logged to the public prosecutor’s office about the allegations, the newspaper reported.

The alleged victim initially learned about the case in the media before later being told by authorities he was a witness in an investigation.

  • ColeSlothEnglish
    71·
    4 months ago

    In the US (the most sue happy place on earth) the guy probably wouldn’t get a payout.

    At least from reading the article, it infers the surgery and everything done went off without any issues. In the US, if you want to sue and win, you have to show that damages were done to you.

    So while it was wildly inappropriate to have a 13 year old there or touching a patient at all, the patient would need to show that it caused damages.

    • Technus@lemmy.zipEnglish
      173·
      4 months ago

      I’m no lawyer but I think drilling into someone’s head without permission might still count as assault.

      • ColeSlothEnglish
        37·
        4 months ago

        But the surgery wasn’t assault.

        • KazumaraEnglish
          61·
          4 months ago

          Do you think the patient gave informed consent, where the information included the fact that the surgical team would include untrained people?

          • ColeSlothEnglish
            2·
            4 months ago

            No, but there was still no damages. I don’t know about Austria, but in the US it has to be shown that damages were suffered.

            • KazumaraEnglish
              21·
              4 months ago

              Without informed consent a surgery is assault though

              • ColeSlothEnglish
                1·
                4 months ago

                Emergency surgery or transport to a hospital from a patient such as this falls under implied consent. The patient got in a near fatal accident. He didn’t schedule a knee surgery or something.

    • wols@lemm.eeEnglish
      62·
      4 months ago

      According to a different source shared by @giriinthejungle, the attorney who has taken the case is suing the entire operating unit and expects whoever instructed the girl to drill the hole to be liable for assault. That is also the estimation of the chief regional patient attorney, provided the incident happened as reported by the media.

      The neurosurgeon as well as one other doctor have already been let go by the hospital.
      Police have not yet charged anyone, their investigation is still ongoing as of the time of the article (2024-08-26).