A former Clay County deputy will remain in a wheelchair for the rest of his life after complications from a bypass surgery goes terribly wrong at Memorial Hospital back in 2007.

Clay Chandler's attorney, Tom Edwards say he loved to play football. But now, he will require around the clock care for the rest of his life.

“If he wakes up in the middle of the night and he’s cold, he can’t pull the blanket up. He has to cry for help,” says Edwards.

A Jacksonville Jury found Monday that Memorial Hospital committed medical negligence and fraud after Edwards says he suffered complications due to poor patient care and the lack of the hospital to follow basic safety standards after his gastric bypass surgery in March of 2007.

Edwards says Chandler suffered brain and also permanent damage to both corneas.

“They weren’t following their own written standards. They were allowing doctors who didn’t have proper credentialing to go in and do the surgeries,” says Edwards.

Edwards also said that Doctor John Depari and the hospital committed fraud by explaining that Depari was certified by a certain organization, but wasn’t. 

“I believe that this verdict represents a jury’s message to this hospital and this hospital chain that you need to put your patients first instead of worrying about your profits,” says Edwards.

His family was awarded 178 million in damages. I'm reaching out to Memorial for their reaction.

WOKV received an official statement from Memorial Hospital about the award:

“We are saddened by what Mr. Chandler has experienced.  While we sympathize with him and his family and respect the judicial process, we do not agree with the outcome of the case and intend to appeal.

We provide excellent care at Memorial and are committed to the quality care we provide our patients.  It’s a commitment that has been recognized by quality and accrediting organizations from around the country.  Examples include our recent Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification for our treatment of sepsis as well as our being named by US News & World Report as one of the region’s best hospitals in eight different clinical categories. “