A chiropractic adjustment gone wrong has led to a lawsuit that could have significant implications for patient care standards. On July 22, 2022, Amy Kaiser filed a complaint in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, against John Talarico, DC, alleging medical negligence.
According to the court documents filed by Kaiser and her attorneys at Gismondi & Associates, the incident occurred during a routine visit to Talarico Chiropractic Clinic located at 1201 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh. Kaiser claims that while receiving an adjustment from Dr. Talarico, she experienced immediate dizziness due to the compression of her eyes and face into the horseshoe extension of the chiropractic table. Later that night, she began experiencing vision problems in her left eye.
Three days after the adjustment, Kaiser visited an optometrist who diagnosed her with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), a condition causing acute vitreous floaters which manifest as wavy or dark spots in one's vision. This condition has reportedly made everyday activities such as reading difficult for Kaiser.
The complaint accuses Dr. Talarico of several acts of negligence: failing to properly discuss the adjustment with Kaiser, not instructing her on how to position her head and face correctly before the procedure, failing to exercise proper care and monitoring during the adjustment, and performing it without adequate preparation. These alleged failures are said to have directly caused Kaiser's injuries.
Kaiser is seeking judgment against Dr. Talarico for an amount exceeding mandatory arbitration limits. She claims substantial medical expenses both past and future, economic losses, pain and suffering, inconvenience, and loss of life's ordinary pleasures as damages resulting from the incident.
The case is being handled by Scott D. Glassmith from Gismondi & Associates P.C., while details about Dr. Talarico's legal representation were not provided in the document.