SAN FRANCISCO - A medical malpractice accusation was leveled against Marion Regional Health Center on April 1 in the San Francisco County Superior Court.
Plaintiffs Anthony and Audrey Rohwedder filed the complaint after he visited the defendant's emergency room on Christmas Day in 2019 after falling off a step stool. Rohwedder was seen by defendant Dr. Brian T. Jensen; the plaintiff alleges that Jensen accused him of exaggerating his symptoms in order to receive opioid pain medication.
Rohwedder was then sent home without being treated.
Rohwedder returned to the ER about a week later when his legs and testicles had turned purple and red, the suit says. The plaintiffs then learned that he had an intra-spinal abscess on his spine that required surgical intervention and a prolonged hospitalization, which would not have been necessary had Jensen treated the plaintiff promptly, the suit says.
Rohwedder also developed a recurring staph infection as a result of the lack of attention to his injury.
Marion Regional Health Center's owner and operator Dignity Health is also named as a defendant in the suit.
The defendants are charged with medical malpractice, negligent supervision and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The plaintiffs are represented by William J. Brown III of Encinitas.