Forsyth v. Sisters of Charity

Defendant appeals from a judgment entered by the trial court on a jury verdict awarding plaintiff damages for personal injuries. We affirm.

In late December, 1975, plaintiff, who was 75 years old at the time, entered Providence Hospital to undergo a total hip replacement operation.1 The surgery was successfully completed. Ordinarily, following a total hip replacement a patient will stay in a horizontal position in his hospital bed for several days, because (1) sitting could cause the hip to dislocate, and (2) patients suffer from dizziness as a result of the loss of blood during surgery. The…