The family of Ethan Cantrell, 18, is suing the hospital and members of its ER staff after the teen died from an infected wound.
CORVALLIS, Oregon — The family of an Oregon teen who died in 2024 from an infected wound after receiving care at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis is suing the hospital, its third-party emergency room staffing firm and two doctors, alleging medical negligence.
According to the complaint filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court, 18-year-old Ethan Cantrell had “twigs, pine needles, and moss” inside the wound on his arm when Dr. Robert Schweiss sutured it closed. Cantrell died five days later.
Cantrell first visited the ER at Good Samaritan the morning of Aug. 15, 2024, after a piece of debris stabbed his right arm while he was cutting wood. According to the complaint, Schweiss examined the wound and irrigated it with saline, then sutured it closed.
“He also ordered a stat X-ray of Ethan’s right arm, which showed soft tissue air, but no bone abnormality and no radio-opaque foreign body,” the lawsuit states. “Organic materials such as wood, dirt, and pine needles generally do not appear via x-ray.”
Cantrell was prescribed a seven-day course of antibiotics and sent home. He started experiencing pain, swelling and a spiking temperature later that day, prompting Cantrell’s mom to call the hospital, but a nurse said there was “no cause for concern,” according to the complaint.
The next day, after consulting with a different nurse, Cantrell went back to the ER, again seeing Schweiss. The doctor “suspected deep tissue infection” but did not remove the sutures or prescribe a broader spectrum of antibiotics, the lawsuit says. Cantrell remained at the ER overnight, his condition worsening.
Around 4:30 a.m. Aug. 17, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kit McCalla examined Cantrell and noted that his right arm had swollen to “2-3 times that of his left arm,” had limited range of motion, and the wound was leaking fluid. McCalla ordered an MRI and surgical irrigation of the wound.
Almost four hours later — before any of the ordered scans had been performed — McCalla cut the wound open and went looking for foreign bodies, ultimately finding “over twelve pieces of organic plant matter, including twigs, pine needles, and moss.” Cultures from the wound confirmed the type of bacterial infection.
Cantrell was still hospitalized the next day, and his condition continued to worsen: further pain, swelling, sweating and signs of sepsis. Four antibiotic combinations did not seem to be effective, and a doctor “had concern for necrotizing fasciitis.”
Just before 1 p.m. Aug. 19, Good Samaritan had Cantrell flown to OHSU.
“Doctors at OHSU immediately recognized Ethan’s condition as life-threatening,” the lawsuit states. “They stabilized him and performed multiple surgeries.”
Doctors at OHSU amputated Cantrell’s right arm up to his shoulder in hopes of saving his life. It was too late — Cantrell died just before 4:30 p.m. Aug. 20.
The lawsuit alleges that Good Samaritan, staffing firm Mary’s Peak Emergency Physicians, and doctors Schweiss and McCalla were negligent in their treatment of Cantrell. His family is asking for a maximum of $100 million in damages.
Tyler Jacobsen, vice president and chief legal officer of Samaritan Health Services, provided a statement in response to a request for comment from KGW:
“Our sympathies are with all who have been impacted by this loss. We take all concerns about patient care seriously, and we will respond through the appropriate legal process.”