Preston Phillips
11:19 PM, Feb 4, 2015
SAN DIEGO – A local woman is suing a chiropractor, claiming his botched acupuncture procedure led to a collapsed lung and thousands in medical bills.
Jaime Del Fierro is suing for thousands in hospital bills and damages that she claims to have incurred following what she calls a botched acupuncture job by a local chiropractor, Dr. Walker Scott.
“I remember I was sitting there I was having a hard time breathing, so I kept trying to take a deep breath,” said Del Fierro.
She says she went to Scott for help with ongoing tension headaches and paid Scott to treat her condition with acupuncture needling procedures and chiropractic adjustments.
The lawsuit alleges a needle used by Scott “… pierced through plaintiff’s chest wall and into the pleural space surrounding her lungs, causing acute pneumothorax, a collapsed lung.”
It also says that several hours later, Del Fierro took herself to the hospital where she underwent surgical procedures.
“It was really, really scary for me,” she said. “I kind of went into like a really dark place because I faced mortality.”
10News checked the state acupuncture board’s website and learned that Scott is not a state certified and/or licensed acupuncturist.
“It’s really important to do your homework because had I known that he wasn’t licensed, I never would have went to see him,” said Del Fierro.
On Wednesday night, Scott, who is also a combat veteran, agreed to an on-camera interview but would not comment on the specifics of the case. He did say the lawsuit came as a big surprise.
“This is my first time ever dealing with anything of this magnitude, so I guess I’ll have to say, you know, I wish I could tell you way, way more but you’ll have to give it a little while and I’ll get back to you,” said Scott.