Family sues for nearly $1,000,000 after man's face caught on fire during surgery while he was ‘awake and conscious'

The family of a man who had been diagnosed with cancer is suing an Oregon hospital for almost $1,000,000 after his face allegedly caught fire while he lay awake for a surgery.

John Michael Murdoch visited the Oregon Health & Science University to undergo surgery in December 2022, after he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer in his tongue called squamous cell carcinoma.

Murdoch was set to undergo a tracheostomy, which would create a hole in his neck for him to breathe through, but his face allegedly caught fire when a spark from a surgical tool ignited alcohol which was being used for the procedure.

One of the surgeons has been named in the lawsuit (Getty Stock Photo)

Now Murdoch's wife, Toni Murdoch, has filed a $900,000 lawsuit which claims the tool had a history of sparking and that the spark was fueled by the use of oxygen and unevaporated isopropyl alcohol.

According to the lawsuit, Murdoch was 'awake and conscious' when the fire broke out. The patient suffered scars, swelling and wounds to his face due to the alleged incident, the lawsuit also claims.

Though he was unable to speak clearly at the time, his wife says he was able to express the trauma he went through.

Murdoch lived with his wounds for six months before he died of his cancer in June 2023.

Ron Cheng, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit last month, said to The Oregionian the alleged incident is one that 'never should have happened'.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Health & Science University, and the physician listed in the lawsuit, Dr. Adam Howard, have declined to respond to the matter due to patient privacy laws.

Murdoch passed away in June 2023 (Family Handout)

Records from Oregon Medical Board show Howard became licensed to practice medicine in Oregon in 2022, The Oregonian further reports.

In January 2024, Howard’s medical license switched to 'Lapsed' status.

Though Cheng has argued the incident should have 'never happened', the Emergency Care Research Institute has reported that an estimated 90 to 100 surgical fires take place in the United States each year.

The Joint Commission, an organization which works to improve patient safety, has warned of three elements which can increase the risk of a fire: oxygen, ignition sources and fuel.

Toni Murdoch's lawsuit alleges all three of these elements were present when the fire started.

As well as his wife, the Oregon man is survived by his parents, step-children, brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews.

UNILAD has reached out to the Oregon Health & Science University for additional comment.