Dermatologist to pay W76 million after youth loses thumb

By Ko Dong-hwan

A dermatologist who unintentionally caused a youth’s thumb to be amputated, must pay his family 76 million won restitution, a court has ruled.

The high school student visited the dermatologist’s clinic in 2012 to have a wart on his thumb removed. The doctor gave a local anesthetic, but the youth began to feel excruciating pain. After 20 minutes, he was transferred to a general hospital emergency ward.

By the time he reached the hospital, his thumb had turned white, a sign that its organic tissue had died. Despite an injection to enhance the blood flow, a surgeon had to amputate the thumb 10 days later.

Seoul Central District Court announced Wednesday that it had ruled in favor of plaintiffs ― the boy and his family.

The court found that the dermatologist had used too much anesthetic, causing the thumb tissue to rot. The dermatologist also had not warned the boy that this could happen.