Chad Gerlaugh, a 46-year-old quadriplegic Florida man arrived at a local hospital for a routine hospital operation in 2019. Due to his condition, which stemmed from a car crash in 1998, he was prone to suffering from constant kidney stones. The kidney stone removal went well, but he suffered an infection that caused sepsis. This, unfortunately, led to doctors amputating all of Gerlaugh's limbs.
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After a car crash, Gerlaugh was confined to a wheelchair and could only use his arms in a limited mobility. However, he managed to live with his disability astoundingly. He worked a $70,000-a-year job doing technical support, and he was able to do his daily activities without any help, according to the Tamba Bay Times.
Sadly, his situation was about to get a whole lot worse. As previously mentioned, though, he suffered continuously from kidney stones. This was due to his bladder catheter, which helped drain it through an abdomen hole.
So, when he visited Morton Plant Hospital in 2019 to remove a kidney stone, everything seemed to be normal to him. After all, this was far from the first time he had to undergo the procedure. However, while in recovery, his blood pressure began to dramatically decrease, with him struggling to breathe. He was rushed to the emergency room, but his condition worsened, with his heart stopping for seven minutes.
Chad Gerlaugh had contracted an infection during the operation. Unfortunately, this led to sepsis, which threatened Gerlaugh's organs and his life. Doctors gave Gerlaugh a series of vasopressor drugs, which aimed to allow more blood to flow from his extremities to his vital organs. However, this led to his extremities not receiving enough blood, leading to rot and decay. Doctors had to amputate his arms and legs.
A Life, Changed
This was, of course, devastating to Chad Gerlaugh. The man who had to live with an already life-changing disability now is strapped to his wheelchair. He is dependent on his parents and cannot be left alone due to his amputations. Worst of all, due to the extent of the amputations, he might never be able to use prosthetics.
"My life is never going to be the same," Gerlaugh said in a family video. "I gotta ask for help. For everything."
Two years after his amputations, Gerlaugh sued Morton Plant Hospital and BayCare in 2021. The latter is the nonprofit that runs the hospital. While a trial was expected to start in February 2025, both parties reached a confidential settlement. Gerlaugh's attorney, Steve Yerrid, defended his client passionately before the settlement was reached.
"I hope to give this young man some accountability because it's been years and this hospital needs to be held responsible," Yerrid said. "You go in for kidney stones and you come out without legs and arms? Give me a break."
BayCare officials would later issue a statement. In it, they said that they were committed to "maintaining the highest standards of patient care possible."
"Our team makes patient safety a top priority and has carefully reviewed this patient's journey to find any opportunities to learn from his experience," the statement reads.
