Jury orders Spectrum Health to pay $755,000 to woman who developed flesh-eating bacteria

Kelly Robinson walked into the Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital emergency room around 1 a.m. in 2008, seeking treatment for a sore throat. The Grand Rapids woman's sore throat progressed into a serious infection and eventually, flesh-eating bacteria that spread to the tissue in her neck. After suing the hospital and a physician's assistant there, a jury this week awarded Robinson $755,000. Her attorney, Kevin Lesperance, said the verdict was not just about Robinson, but about patient safety in general. A Spectrum Health spokeswoman on Wednesday said the hospital plans to appeal the court’s decision.