Woman sues over botched plastic surgery after pitbull attack
Claudia Berthiaume, QMI Agency
First posted: Sunday, November 30, 2014 02:44 PM EST
DEUX-MONTAGNES, Que. - It seemed things couldn't get worse for Marie-Helene Tokar after a pitbull attack left her disfigured in 2008.
The attack by her neighbour's dog literally ripped off her nose and part of her upper lip.
After three years and numerous surgeries, it seemed there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel as the 51-year-old was set to receive a prosthetic nose.
Now she's suing plastic surgeon Michel Alain Danino for $75,000, claiming he performed an unauthorized surgery that makes implanting the prosthetic impossible, according to the lawsuit.
Tokar was originally supposed to undergo an operation for the "reconstruction of her lip and nasal mucosa," or mucous membrane. That surgery required the signing of a consent form by the patient.
Instead, Tokar alleges that Danino performed a reconstruction of the outer skin of Tokar's nose, which was not specified in the consent form.
"She has had to live, and still lives, in a condition that is very difficult and painful physically and psychologically," according to the filing, which alleges that the consequences of the surgery are permanent.
Tokar's case first came to public attention in 2011 when she filed a $1.15 million lawsuit against the pitbull's owner. The Superior Court ruled that Tokar wasn't owed any damages since she acted recklessly with the dog.
At the time of the attack, Tokar was working for a dog protection service. She had been attempting to feed the pitbull puppy with milk when it attacked. In the court ruling, the judge found that anyone with knowledge of dogs would know the danger of approaching a nursing puppy.
Marie-Helene Tokar, shown here in a file photo from April 2011, was disfigured after being attacked by a pit bull in 2008. (QMI Agency)
Woman sues over botched plastic surgery after pitbull attack | Canada | News | T
Claudia Berthiaume, QMI Agency
First posted: Sunday, November 30, 2014 02:44 PM EST
DEUX-MONTAGNES, Que. - It seemed things couldn't get worse for Marie-Helene Tokar after a pitbull attack left her disfigured in 2008.
The attack by her neighbour's dog literally ripped off her nose and part of her upper lip.
After three years and numerous surgeries, it seemed there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel as the 51-year-old was set to receive a prosthetic nose.
Now she's suing plastic surgeon Michel Alain Danino for $75,000, claiming he performed an unauthorized surgery that makes implanting the prosthetic impossible, according to the lawsuit.
Tokar was originally supposed to undergo an operation for the "reconstruction of her lip and nasal mucosa," or mucous membrane. That surgery required the signing of a consent form by the patient.
Instead, Tokar alleges that Danino performed a reconstruction of the outer skin of Tokar's nose, which was not specified in the consent form.
"She has had to live, and still lives, in a condition that is very difficult and painful physically and psychologically," according to the filing, which alleges that the consequences of the surgery are permanent.
Tokar's case first came to public attention in 2011 when she filed a $1.15 million lawsuit against the pitbull's owner. The Superior Court ruled that Tokar wasn't owed any damages since she acted recklessly with the dog.
At the time of the attack, Tokar was working for a dog protection service. She had been attempting to feed the pitbull puppy with milk when it attacked. In the court ruling, the judge found that anyone with knowledge of dogs would know the danger of approaching a nursing puppy.
Marie-Helene Tokar, shown here in a file photo from April 2011, was disfigured after being attacked by a pit bull in 2008. (QMI Agency)
Woman sues over botched plastic surgery after pitbull attack | Canada | News | T