Module 8 Writing Assignment
Ashleigh Brill
BUS 116 801B
My first case will be medical malpractice. This case was reported after Dr. Robert
Ricketson made the awful decision to use a screw driver in place of a titanium rod for back
surgery. This case occurred in Hilo, Hawaii. Arturo Iturralde was due for surgery in 2001 in
order to place two titanium rods along his spine. Arturo gave informed consent for the surgery,
however, Ricketson took it upon himself to place an object with no medical relevance into
Arturo’s body, which was not what he agreed to. Dr. Ricketson believed that he acted reasonably
because he had finished the surgery. He placed the screw driver in after removing the handle
instead of the rod because he discovered that after the surgery had already begun, the rods were
