Hunter
10/24/24
A Tipton doctor has been found liable for mismanaging a staph infection that led to a LeClaire man’s death in 2020.
A Scott County jury awarded over $1.6 million to the daughter of 67-year-old Steve Schwarz this week after they found Dr. Michelle Sprengelmeyer solely liable for his death.
Schwarz had surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in March 2020 to insert a supportive hardware in his spine for an injury, then he was discharged to recover at Cedar Manor, where Sprengelmeyer was his treating physician.
Schwarz had orders to continue antibiotics to treat a staph bacteria that can cause a range of infections, but the lawsuit alleged Sprengelmeyer failed to follow those orders, which caused the infection to get worse. Schwarz was later sent home in the care of hospice where he died in July 2020.
Cedar Manor was dismissed from the negligence lawsuit before it went to trial.