In Oregon, a man’s face caught on fire during surgery. The family is demanding $900,000 from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) after John Michael Murdoch’s face caught on fire during surgery in 2022 – while he was awake. How did this happen? A series of critical medical errors, including failure to properly dry alcohol swabs, led to this horrific event.

Murdoch was undergoing surgery to treat skin cancer on his tongue when medical staff swabbed his face with isopropyl alcohol to sterilize it. However, the alcohol wasn’t allowed to dry properly, and a spark from a surgical tool ignited the alcohol, setting his face on fire. Tragically, Murdoch was conscious during the incident and endured severe burns, disfiguring scars, and excruciating pain in the months following the procedure. Murdoch passed away in June 2023 at the age of 52, six months after the botched surgery.

Between 2018 and 2023, 85 fire related incidents happened during surgery in the U.S., according to the Joint Commission, largely from a lack of communication or lack of competency.

According to Sage Transparency, OHSU charges privately-insured patients 269% of Medicare rates—more than double the 122% needed to break even. This means Oregon employers providing health coverage for their staff are paying twice as much as necessary to keep the hospital running. This excessive pricing must stop — because it’s clearly not providing better care.

This devastating mistake was entirely preventable. The lawsuit contends that the hospital’s negligence, including failure to follow basic safety protocols, led to this senseless tragedy. OHSU’s response has been vague at best, with a spokesperson citing patient privacy laws and refusing to take accountability for their actions.

No family should suffer the trauma of medical malpractice like the Murdoch family did. Hospitals need to improve their quality and follow safety protocols – especially if they’re going to continue to raise their prices.