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The parents of a 17-year-old Washington boy who died from a complication he experienced while having his wisdom teeth removed are suing the oral surgeon and his clinic, alleging medical malpractice and negligence. Erik Edge, a healthy teen “who was looking forward to summer vacation and his upcoming senior year of high school,” died in June after experiencing a common and survivable complication from anesthesia, his parents, Sara and Mark Edge, said in a lawsuit filed Dec. 9 in Spokane.
The oral surgeon also was acting as the anesthesiologist during the procedure, and he didn’t notice for several minutes that Erik’s airway had closed, the family’s attorneys said. The surgeon and staff “were not prepared to provide lifesaving care and did not respond properly,” the attorneys said. McClatchy News isn’t naming the oral surgeon because he hasn’t been criminally charged.
Steve Lamberson, the surgeon’s attorney, told McClatchy News the teen’s death was “unfortunate but unforeseen.” The oral surgeon and his staff “have been deeply impacted by Erik’s death but (the surgeon) followed safety protocols and met the standard of care,” Lamberson said. He said that neither he nor his client have seen the complaint yet, but when they receive it, his client “will respond to the lawsuit and defend his care.
” The oral surgeon was pulling double duty by also handling anesthesia duties during Erik’s wisdom teeth procedure “to bill and collect greater fees for performing both services,” the lawsuit said. He didn’t disclose that he’d be doing two separate jobs to Sara and Mark Edge, the lawsuit said. He also didn’t tell the parents “there would be no qualified backup or assistance to help in case of complications” or that his divided attention and the lack of qualified backup would increase Erik’s risk of harm, according to the lawsuit.
“With almost all surgeries, it is standard practice for anesthesia to be administered by someone devoting their full attention to the patient. When a surgeon splits their jobs to double their profits, it opens the door to unnecessary risks that lead to tragic losses like Erik’s death,” George Ahrend of Luvera Law Firm, one of the family’s attorneys, said in a news release. Sara Edge said that finding out that the surgeon was “multi-tasking for profit” compounds her family’s grief.
“Our son lost his life in a completely preventable tragedy, and our family will never be the same,” she said in the news release. “But we’re committed to speaking up and raising these safety issues so that other families can make informed decisions.” Erik had a heart that was loving and giving, his mother said.
He enjoyed traveling, camping , working on his truck and spending time with friends and with his brother, Zack, his obituary said. He liked trying new things and had adventures to prove it, from swimming with dolphins at 6 years old to parasailing and zip lining, according to the obituary. He also tried hard to help others, and loved ones and supporters are raising money for the nonprofit Living Water International in his name, the news release said.
Erik and his dad traveled to Honduras in 2022 to work with the group on a well project there, the release said. Spokane is a 279-mile drive east from Seattle. Surgeon ‘misplaced’ screws in 12-year-old’s back, causing paralysis, SC lawsuit says Doctor told couple that wife’s post-surgery pain was normal, then she died, suit says Dad learns daughter isn’t related to him — because wrong embryo was implanted, suit says.
