Dr. Richard David Heekin
St. Vincent's hospital, surgeon facing hundreds of lawsuits, allegations of ignoring complaints (Jacksonville.com)
A Jacksonville native and prominent orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Richard David Heekin, is at the center of 348 lawsuits alleging "devastating injuries" to his patients at St. Vincent's Riverside hospital from 2016 until his voluntary retirement in 2020, according to court documents.
The lawsuits, also filed against Heekin's clinic and Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside Hospital, claim that the hospital ignored complaints from staff members and patients that Heekin was experiencing symptoms from a progressive neurological disorder and harming his patients during surgery.
In addition, patients who filed 10 complaints have already been awarded over $6 million total in the Florida Division of Administrative Courts.
Beginning as early as 2016, patients said they noticed Heekin’s hands shaking, slurred speech, unsteady walking, involuntary body movements, mood swings, and impaired judgment, according to the lawsuits.
Ruptured tendons, broken femurs, dislocated bones, misplaced prosthetic knees and even a death during a ro...
