ORO VALLEY, Ariz. — After a week-long trial, a jury awarded Sharon King nearly $5.3 million following a medical malpractice lawsuit.
"We think it's the largest medical malpractice verdict in Pima County in the last five years," said King's attorney, Marco Mercado.
Direct words from the attorney representing an Oro Valley woman now living with the consequences of a local surgeon's mistake.
The victim, Sharon King, sued Northwest Allied Physicians and Doctor Andrew Smith. The Pima County jury has finally come to a verdict after a week in trial.
"He has altered and changed my life forever," said Sharon King.
King went to Oro Valley Hospital for shoulder replacement surgery in September 2020, but that surgery did not go as planned.
"He tied off my axillary artery and neurovascular bundle, which in turn caused me to have to have amputation," said King.
After a week-long trial against Northwest Allied Physicians and Doctor Andrew Smith, King was awarded $5.29 million this past Friday.
However, she tells News 4, "I don't think any amount of money is enough for a lost limb."
Besides the costs of attorney fees and medical follow-ups, she feels Dr. Smith has taken away her independence.
"Having two arms, people can do just about anything. Wash their hair, get shampoo out of the pump bottle, opening a water bottle," said King.
Her attorney says Dr. Smith admitted to liability before trial. King hopes action can be taken to save others from the pain and challenges this mistake has caused her.
"I hope he loses his license, first of all," said King. "Second of all, if he doesn't lose his license, that it's mandatory that he goes back to school."
Now, the trial may be over, but King's recovery is far from it.
"I'm hoping to get with my prosthetic company and have a prosthetic hopefully made. I don't have much use at all of my upper limb so a lot more tests are gonna have to be run to see if that's possible but I'm hoping for an arm," said King.
Our team reached out to Northwest Allied Physicians and we have not heard back yet.