By Bryan Horwath
Las Vegas Review-Journal
HENDERSON, Nev. — A man who claims that his severed finger was mishandled after police and firefighters were called to his home in 2024 has sued the city of Henderson.
Kyle Adams, according to a lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court on April 7, alleges that Henderson Fire Department personnel failed to properly identify, preserve and deliver one of his severed fingers to treating physicians and hospital officials at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas.
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According to the eight-page complaint, filed through The 702 Firm, Henderson police officers and firefighters were called to Adams’ home in southeast Henderson the night of June 2, 2024 .
While at the home, the complaint said, police officers found a severed finger from Adams’ right hand, which they passed along to fire department personnel, who were in the process of taking Adams to Sunrise Hospital. The lawsuit did not state how Adams was injured.
Medical providers at Sunrise, according to the lawsuit, didn’t know about the severed finger until June 3. Adams “found it among his personal belongings” at the hospital, the complaint said.
By the time Adams discovered the finger, it had been without “proper medical preservation” for over 12 hours, which made surgical reattachment impossible, according to the suit.
After Adams filed a complaint with the Henderson Police Department, he was told that fire department personnel were to blame for the “failure to properly deliver the finger,” the lawsuit stated.
Adams has claimed in the complaint that he’s suffered the permanent loss of his finger, emotional distress, physical pain, reduced use of his right hand, and incurred medical expenses. The lawsuit asks for special damages in excess of $15,000.
The lawsuit states that the city has a duty to “properly hire, train and supervise the staff of the Henderson Fire Department” to “prevent unreasonable risks of harm to the public.” That duty, the lawsuit states, was breached.
Adams could not be reached for comment. Messages to The 702 Firm attorneys Michael Kane and Bradley Myers, who are listed on the complaint, were not returned.
In an email, a spokeswoman for the city of Henderson declined to comment. Cassandra Jones, a spokeswoman for HCA Healthcare, the owner of Sunrise Hospital, also declined to comment.
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