A Henderson County resident filed a lawsuit against a Huntsville doctor asserting medical negligence in a case dating to 2011.

John Crocker of Athens sued Dr. Dave Khurana in Galveston County District Court on July 6, alleging liability in a series of medical procedures that he claims caused critical infection and injuries between 2011 and 2014.

According to the suit, the plaintiff was diagnosed with renal failure in late August 2011 and referred to Khurana for treatment. After surgery to implant a catheter, he began home dialysis in October 2011.

The suit states that due to an alleged violation of his pre-existing parole status, Crocker was remanded to a state hospital in Huntsville on April 18, 2013, by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. While negotiating continued dialysis treatment, Crocker claims, he discovered that his catheter no longer functioned, having caused him to develop peritonitis at the implant site in May 2013.

The suit states that the patient’s infection was an aggressive strain of E. coli and staph; and that following additional surgery, his pain worsened and fluid leaked from his wound continuously for three days, impeding further dialysis.

According to the filing, a CT scan revealed that Crocker’s bladder had been punctured during surgery; he underwent yet another procedure. When he recovered sufficiently, he claims, he was denied his previous treatment method and forced to endure aggressive hemo-dialysis provided by the prison hospital for almost a year until his April 24, 2014, release.

Alleging negligence, severe physical pain, mental anguish, impairment, and medical expenses, Crocker blames the defendant for substandard care. He claims that Khurana failed to flush and properly maintain the peritoneal catheter, resulting in infection and multiple surgeries.

The plaintiff seeks up to $250,000 in compensation for damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney’s fees, expenses and costs. The plaintiff is represented by Dale Trimble of the Trimble Firm in Conroe.

Galveston County District Court case number 15-CV-0676.

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