74-year-old Army veteran sues hospital after surgeons amputate wrong leg

An Ohio woman is suing a hospital, accusing its doctors of amputating the wrong leg.

Sharon Jacks, 74, filed a lawsuit this month in Washington County Common Pleas Court in Marietta, Ohio, claiming her left leg was amputated at Selby General Hospital in September 2025. The surgery was to remove her right leg.

Jacks, an Army veteran, underwent the originally scheduled procedure four months later, making her a double amputee, according to her attorney Brad Layne. Both of his legs were amputated below the knee.

Jacks and her husband named nine defendants in the suit, including Jacks’ hospital and medical and surgical teams, accusing them of gross negligence, battery and reckless driving.

Jacks “suffered physical injuries, permanent disability, pain and suffering, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, medical expenses, and other damages,” the lawsuit states.

“Defendants acted willfully, wantonly, recklessly, maliciously, and with conscious disregard for the substantial certainty of catastrophic harm,” the suit adds.

The surgery was recommended as part of a treatment plan for Jacks’ squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, according to the 32-page lawsuit.

Layne said the surgical team’s practitioners amputated the wrong leg after marking the correct one. He said the team realized the mistake during the procedure and informed Jacks’ family members before she woke up.

A hospital spokeswoman, Jennifer Offenberger, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The hospital said in a statement that the incident was a “preventable event.” He said he retrained all of his surgical staff after the operation and that the staff involved in Jacks’ operation “are no longer in their positions.”

The surgeon who performed the surgery, Dr. Gregory Krivchenia II, who is listed as a defendant, is still licensed to practice in Ohio, according to online records. Krivchenia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A receptionist at First Settlement Orthopedics Inc., where Krivchenia previously worked, said in a brief phone call that he was retired.

Layne said the wrong-site amputation changed everything in her client’s life, from her ability to dress herself to her ability to cook for herself.

“I would be wrong if I said things were going well, of course. They’re taking it, day by day, her and her husband, just trying to get through life,” Layne said.

Jacks has been cancer-free since the correct surgery was performed, Layne said.