Minnesota jury awards damages to family in pre-op fall

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A jury has awarded damages to the family of a St. Paul man who died after he rolled off an operating table.

Jurors awarded $225,000 to the family of Max DeVries. The family sued St. Joseph’s Hospital alleging the 61-year-old man was allowed to roll off an operating table in March 2010 while he was sedated.

The lawsuit alleged DeVries fell on the side of his head where part of his skull had been removed before surgery.

According to the family’s attorney, DeVries’ condition deteriorated after the fall and he went into a coma. He died after being taken off life support.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports St. Joseph’s issued a statement saying medical evidence proved there was no relationship between the fall and the patient’s death.