Kalighat MS (Division B) Matches played. Wendy Young believed she had finally met her Prince Charming after crossing paths with Christopher Duntsch. So to be able to do that much wrong, I felt that he must have known at some point in time how to do it right. Christopher Duntsch shattered that trust over the course of a few years, ruining countless lives. For example, when Duntsch left Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, the hospital provided a letter confirming there had been no "summary or administrative restrictions or suspensions," despite the fact that Duntsch had been suspended for 30 days following Summers's surgery. are both available to stream on Peacock now. But Young would never get the happy ending she had envisioned with the doctor. It was supposed to be a simple procedure, which is, perhaps, why Baylor didnt put anyone in the operating room to supervise Duntsch. Daniel Reece, Michael Rice and Christopher Ochwat, Reece left in January, while the other two were sacked by the management for reasons still unclear. Young told D Magazine the incident had simply been a misunderstanding after she had given birth to the couples second son and had asked Duntsch to bring Aiden to the hospital to meet his new brother. But as in many other areas in Texasbenzene pollution from hydraulic fracturing sites; ammonium nitrate pileups at fertilizer plantsMartins death and Summers paralysis fell into a regulatory no mans land. Hospitals can get all of the benefit of an expensive surgeon practicing in their facility and little of the exposure. Written by Patrick Macmanus, the show will only be available exclusively on Peacock. What all this means is that the Texas Legislature has committed the state to a policy of medical deregulationa free-market system in which doctors can practice as they please with limited government interference. It would clearly be a policy decision for the Legislature to consider whether the process or the standards for evidence required for a temporary suspension need to change., Leigh Hopper, formerly the Medical Board spokesperson, put it more bluntly. He put together a website and began bringing in patients. "After building a flourishing neurosurgery practice, everything suddenly changes when patients entering Dr. Duntsch's operating room for complex but routine spinal surgeries start leaving permanently disabled or dead. The surgery, he said, beaming into the camera, was a resounding success. Many of his patients suffered severe spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis and pain severe enough to render painkillers ineffective. At the end of May 2013, Kirby and Henderson received invitations to a celebratory dinner, courtesy of University General Hospital, to meet their new neurosurgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch, at an expensive uptown restaurant. Hes been devastated, Don Duntsch said. Kimberly Morgan is the former assistant and ex-girlfriend of Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr Death. So while hospital administrators did a deeper background examination, they granted Duntsch temporary privileges. Christopher Duntsch and Jerry Summers weren't only best friends - they took care of one another. The Legislature doesnt want the Medical Board taking a doctors licenseand livelihoodunnecessarily or based on flimsy or frivolous claims. That veneer is how Duntsch was able to set up a practice in Dallas and obtain surgical privileges at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Plano, Texas. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. In telling the story of Duntsch, both the series and podcast reveal how a flawed system allowed him to operate for so long. Her spine was pockmarked with screw holes, and a screw had been lodged in another nerve root near the bottom of her spine," D Magazine describes. But what is the real-life story behind Duntsch and Youngs complicated romance? Over the course of 2012 and 2013, even as the Texas Medical Board and the hospitals he worked with received repeated complaints from a half-dozen doctors and lawyers begging them to take action, Duntsch continued to practice medicine. Its left to hospitals to police their doctors. And yet they occurred in Duntschs operating rooms over a period of just two years," an article in D Magazine reads. For a temporary suspension, the standard is even higher than the boards other enforcement actions. 'Dr. Death' clings to the wrong part of a true story - Mic This is what I wanted, she said. Another suffered a sliced vertebral artery which led to a stroke and later death. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. Maybe, he sighed, we should have gotten a second opinion.. Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011 Credit: Dallas County Sheriff's office. Further, both works question Duntsch's perspective. A poorly put-together case can mean months or years of expensive litigation. With the exception of pain management clinics and anesthesiologists, the board doesnt have the authority to inspect a doctor, or to start an investigation on its own. In 2008 one of his patients died of a prescription drug overdose after he had prescribed her a lethal dose of the painkiller Tramadol. Duntschs license is currently on temporary suspension pending further action by the board. (So far only Mary Efurd and the family of Floella Brown have filed suit against Duntsch, though the other patients or their families have all retained counsel as well.). Melinda Lehmann, his defense attorney, said Duntsch was a scapegoat for a medical establishment that just kept hiring him and putting him in operating rooms. Speaking to Inside Edition, they called him "a snake in the grass," "a monster," "drug addict" and even "a psychopath.". Yet Arafiles didnt surrender his license until November 2011, after he had been convicted of a felony. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The true story of Christopher Duntsch is the subject of the haunting Peacock drama. But her dream of Duntsch being her Prince Charming is now nothing more than a memory. The only entity that could stop Duntsch from seeing more patients was the Texas Medical Board. Theres no reason to assume another doctor would have advised her differently. 2022 Calcutta Premier Division - Wikipedia ), Photo: The patients mother complained to the Medical Board. Young told D Magazine she was forced to move from her Dallas home after investigators started camping out on her street and attorneys started waiting in the stairwell of her apartment, looking for Duntsch. As D Magazine put it, "His outcomes were so poor, so beyond the accepted standard of care, that a grand jury indicted him on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as well as a single count of harming an elderly patient." Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. But a few years later, he popped up in Kermit doing just thatas well as selling drugs out of the operating room and performing bizarre surgeries he hadnt been trained for. 2 Killer doctor Christopher Duntsch Credit: Social Media - Refer to Source Where is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death now? He chose Dallas after learning that Young had family near thecityand she offered to go with him. Doctor convicted of botched surgery gets life sentence - USA Today Into this milieu rolled Christopher Duntsch, M.D., like a 100-year storm. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. None of this hurt his career. .css-lwn4i5{display:block;font-family:Neutra,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:-0.01rem;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;text-align:center;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-lwn4i5:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-lwn4i5{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.1;}}Leann Rimes Shares Video Montage for Anniversary, Read Erin Napier's Post about 'Home Town', Christie Brinkley = Iconic In Bareback Riding Pic, 35 Celebrity Relationships That Upset Fans, Celebrities You Didn't Know Had Famous Moms, 30 Celebrity Feuds That Were Never Resolved, Celebrity Couples from 50 Years You Forgot About, We Ranked Every Single Adam Sandler Movie, 34 'Bridgerton' Fun Facts to Fuel Your Obsession, Where Youve Seen the Cast of Bridgerton Before. The temporary suspension was a power the Legislature gave the board in 2003. Even when the board does sanction a doctor, those sanctions are often lighteven in cases in which the doctor is badly impaired. You're probably asking, How could Duntsch have gotten away with a string of botched surgeries? Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971) [1] is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death [2] for gross malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients' spines and two deaths while working at hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. On the online doctor-rating site Healthgrades.com, he had 4.5 stars out of five. His victims also had descriptors. (And the National Practitioner Databank doesnt make doctors names public, so we dont know who they are.) He then had trouble moving the plate into place. Dr. Death is a new true-crime series on Peacock about the story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch. They showed photos of him as a baby, as a toddler, and as a boy getting a soccer ball for Christmas. One patient had a stroke following a chelation therapy. Neither hospital would talk about Duntsch for this story. 300 (2.48 per match) 2021. Forty-five minutes passed, then an hour, two hours, with no word. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Near the end of his report, Kirby wrote, The [Medical Board] must stop this sociopath Duntsch immediately or he will continue [to] maim and kill innocent patients. Perhaps it was the completeness and forcefulness of his presentation, perhaps it was the fact that another neurosurgeon had just joined the board, and he understood as none of the rest did the severity of what Duntsch had done. Public Citizen concluded that the board moves slowly because its understaffed and underfunded. He explained the disturbing visit by saying he had been attacked by an investigator for an attorney hired by one of his patients, although that account was never verified. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. 'Cult mom' Lori Vallow's hair found on duct tape used to wrap son's body, Inside Jeffrey Epstein's private calendar including meeting with Noam Chomsky, Heartbroken family launch new lawsuit against Walmart over son's death, I won $188m lotto, I only got $88m after taxes but there was a bigger blow to come, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Duntsch, aka Dr Death, was sentenced to life in prison in 2017, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. Dr. Randall Kirby was another surgeon at Baylor Plano. The series is set to premiere on July 12 and will feature a star-studded cast. Joshua Jackson on his 'evil' role in 'Dr. Death' - New York Post The Terrifying True Story Behind Peacock's Dr. Death - Yahoo In effect, plaintiffs have to prove a very tough case without access to the necessary hospital records. Victim of Real-Life 'Dr. Death' Believes There Are Others Like Him Out Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. Following Summers surgery, Baylor Plano suspended Duntsch for 30 daysafter that, he was supposed to be supervised on every surgery he performed, according to Kirby. Even Christopher's childhood friend, Jerry Summers, was unable to move his arms and legs after entrusting the surgeon with a cervical fusion surgery. But a second opinion wouldnt have helped. We have to consider the uncomfortable possibility that Christopher Duntsch is to the medical system what the recent West explosion was to the fertilizer industrya regrettable tragedy, but the price of living in a free-market system. He had a doctorate in molecular biology as well as a medical degree from the University. Doctors rights are to be protected at every step of the process. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kirby had spent 16 years performing general surgery in the Dallas area, in which time hed assisted on more than 2,000 spine operations. Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains Its not clear how such a well-trained surgeon could have performed so disastrously, but the June 26 Medical Board report offers a hint: Respondent is unable to practice medicine with reasonable skill and safety due to impairment from drugs or alcohol.. We now know that the Texas Medical Board was working behind the scenes in summer 2012, trying to find grounds to temporarily suspend Duntschs license. For one, there was alleged drug and alcohol abuse. It was just one simple procedure before her trip, but Martin would never to make it Antigua or see her husband or two adult daughters again. Sometimes we know that someones bad, but when it comes to taking them to a hearing and proving it to where we can actually do some disciplinary action, it takes time of gathering evidence. He was the eldest of four.They described him as the bright, precocious little boy who had taken care of a sick bird and loved dogs. "I think all of us will be thinking about things like this, and hopefully there will be some tighter controls, more accountability in a lot of areas so something like this wont happen again. He talked impressive. Two weeks later, on June 14, 2013, Kirby got a call to come to University General to do a recovery surgery on one of Duntschs patients. While that complaint worked its way through the system, another of his patients died of a hydrocodone overdose. Death Based On A True Story, Joshua Jackson On Role Of Surgeon, Christopher Duntsch, In Peacocks Dr. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes longer than we want., What Henderson took from this, he told me, is that were dealing with people who dont do the job they are hired to do.. Martins surgery was Duntschs last at Baylor. The boards mandate, spelled out in the Medical Practice Act, recognizes a doctors license as a hard-won, valuable credential. Dr. Christopher Duntsch, better known as Doctor Death, is serving a life sentence at a Texas prison today, according to his inmate record. The once notable neurosurgeon is now 50 years old. In the time between the first complaint to the board, and when Duntsch was finally stopped on June 26, five of his patients were seriously injured and one died. Because he had no conscience. Every time a doctor loses clinical privileges at a hospital, or has them suspended, hospitals are required by law to notify the National Practitioner Databank. Prior to her new position, she was the Senior News and Entertainment Editor for the brand, covering and editing all things in the entertainment, pop culture and celebrity world forGood Housekeeping. ", Mary's botched surgery was one of several in Christopher's record. Its a completely egregious case, Leigh Hopper, then head of communications for the Texas Medical Board, told The Dallas Morning News in June. Duntschs explanation, along with the email from Baylor, was enough to get him a trial run of five surgeries at Dallas Medical Center. Rather than immediately ordering scans to find out what was wrong, Duntsch moved on to other patients, according to Kirbys letter to the Medical Board. My record is excellent," he told The Dallas Morning News in 2015. In 2003, the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature capped pain-and-suffering damages in medical malpractice lawsuits at $250,000. Dr. Death: Disgraced surgeon at center of podcast, show has CSU roots Duntsch hired Morgan as his assistant while he was still with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in August of 2011. Before moving to West Texas, Arafiles had run a small alternative clinic in Victoria, peddling chelation therapy, a fringe cure that is supposed to rid the body of heavy metals. Dallas Magazine states that Duntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. He just had no recognition of the proper anatomy. She was 55 and had been experiencing persistent back pain after a fall at home. What Happened To Jerry Summers, 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch's It was horrible. At his home and office, my calls rang and rang before going to voicemail boxes that were full. Death podcast, which inspired the Peacock series. In January 2012, he assisted on one of Duntschs surgeries. They just cant comprehend that an M.D.-Ph.D. neurosurgeon could do what Christopher Duntsch was doing. The. The relationship between Duntsch and Morgan would come to an end after he leftBaylor Medical Center in Planoamidst criticism that he had botched multiple surgeries, including one that left a patient dead. Soon after Summers woke up paralyzed, a woman named Kellie Martin came to see Duntsch at Texas Neurosurgical Institute. If the board decides to act on a complaintand only one in four complaints makes it that farinvestigators begin subpoenaing hospital records, which the board will eventually send to a pair of volunteer doctors in the same specialty who will review the case (if they disagree, a third doctor has to be found to break the tie). Until the day of the suspension, if you had looked Duntsch up on the Texas Medical Board website, you would have found him a physician in good standing. Because investigations are confidential, Duntschs public record with the Texas Medical Board remained clean. This was a voice for Kellie, said Don Martin, whose wife bled to death after one of those botched surgeries in 2012. Birthday boy Zverev knocked out in Munich - mid-day.com 'Dr. Death': AnnaSophia Robb on Playing ADA Michelle Shughart - Newsweek Jodi Smith. Their fellow physicians had found them committing such offenses as malpractice, sexual assault and drug use. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. I think their rationale was, hes a trained neurosurgeon, a combined M.D.-Ph.D., Henderson said. Dr. Death, which premieres on July 15 on Peacock, shows the horrors that followed once he was on the job. He was very eloquent in stating the causes and the need for the procedure. Duntschsmedical privileges were revoked by the Texas Medical Board in June of 2013 and Duntschs life continued to spiral from there, according to D Magazine. He told Morgan that Young was just his secretary from Memphis, whose husband would be moving to the area soon, according to the podcast. Texas neurosurgeon gets life in prison for deliberately injuring My whole world crashed, he said. Per Bustle, Christopher is currently incarcerated at O.B. Victim statements reveal more gruesome details of botched surgeries - WFAA In doing so, hospitals preserved Duntsch's reputation. Dr. Death's Christopher Duntsch Is Now Serving a Life Sentence 'Dr. Death': Who Is Jerry Summers and What Happened to Him? - Newsweek He works out, he reads, he studies the Bible. After Christopher performed a spinal surgery on Mary in 2012, Mary suffered crippling pain afterward. He faxed over a picture of Duntsch to the residency program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to see if Duntsch had graduated. Dr. Death is the new true-crime series on Peacock starring The Affair's Joshua Jackson as the infamous surgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch. This guy already killed somebody, made another a quad, made a partial paraplegic out of my patient. I said, He needs to be stopped.