PRINCETON – A Mercer County woman blames a co-worker, who is a certified physician’s assistant, for injuring her during a procedure to remove a ganglion cyst from her wrist.
Amber Reed Spence filed her complaint August 20 in Mercer Circuit Court against Brittany Jewell.
According to the complaint, both women worked at Pinnacle Dermatology in Princeton. Spence says she was working as a medical assistant on May 26, 2022, when she had complained of pain arising from the ganglion cyst.
Jewell also was working that day and told Spence she could perform a surgical procedure to remove the cyst. After all of the patients had been seen but while still on the clock, Spence says she allowed Jewell to perform the procedure because “she had observed PA Jewell working on other patients at the practice and was aware Jewell was a trained medical professional.”
During the procedure, Spence says she experienced pain and discomfort as Jewell tried to remove the “root” of the cyst by cutting deeper into tissue, tendons and muscle.
“Finally, plaintiff pulled her hand away hearing a popping sound which resulted in fluid coming from the site,” the complaint states. “After undergoing the painful procedure in the office, Ms. Spence began to have issues and problems arising from the procedure, including pain, swelling, numbness and lack of range of motion and/or mobility.”
Spence says these symptoms increased over the following months until she learned Jewell had negligently performed the procedure by severing her radial nerve. That, along with scar tissue that developed, resulted in Spence’s left hand and wrist nearly were immobile.
In addition to Jewell failing to competently perform the surgery, Spence says Jewell failed to inform her beforehand of any risks, benefits or alternatives to the procedure. She says Jewell also failed to document or maintain patient care records and failed to provide any post-procedure care to mitigate the swelling that caused pain and compression.
Spence says an expert says the deviations caused the potential nerve damage and scar tissue.
She accuses Jewell of lack of informed consent and medical negligence. She says she has experienced unnecessary pain, medical expenses, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, wage loss, permanent nerve damage and loss of mobility in her left hand.
Spence seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages and other relief.
She is being represented by Tammy Bowles Raines of Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Ryan Flanigan.
Mercer Circuit Court case number 24-C-203