A liver transplant patient is suing Vancouver General Hospital and his doctors after he was allegedly set on fire in surgery.
Vernon resident Robbin Reeves told Metro yesterday he has mixed feelings about the lawsuit.
“The surgeon — it wasn’t his fault, but we have to sue him, too,” he said. “And he saved my life.”
Reeves was in hospital in February 2006 for a liver transplant when his heart stopped, and an open-chest cardiac massage was needed.
His lawsuit claims doctors tore one of the chambers of his heart during the procedure. Alcohol on his neck and shoulder then caught fire, leaving him burned.
Reeves said yesterday his lawyer has cautioned him about speaking to reporters while the case is unresolved.
“But I’m not happy about what they did to me, you know, killing me and setting me on fire … It’s a pretty weird story.”
–kristen.thompson@metronews.ca
