In a rare medical malpractice case, in 2007, the family of Sherman Sizemore, a 73 year old Baptist minister from West Virginia filed a wrongful death suit against Raleigh Anesthesia Associates who they claim, failed to give their father the drugs necessary to render him unconscious…. caringlawyers.com, register-herald.com, 13 Disturbing Cases of Medical Malpractice, Civil suit alleges lack of anesthesia led to suicide, 2020
The suit claimed that Sherman Sizemore was paralyzed but fully aware of what was occurring for 16 minutes after the first incision of an exploratory laparotomy at Raleigh General Hospital on Jan. 19, 2006. Due to the paralysis, he was unable to move, speak or communicate.
They believe the uncharacteristic behavior Sizemore experienced — such as being afraid of being alone and being buried alive — in the days following the procedure were symptoms of a psychological condition that stemmed from the trauma of his anesthesia awareness and would ultimately result in his suicide two weeks after the surgery.