A former professional baseball player with the Miami Marlins is suing a local university’s medical school over the treatment of an injury. Avisaíl Garcia and his wife Anakarina Jaspe filed a lawsuit against the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Background

Garcia alleges that during the early portion of the 2023 MLB season, physicians with the Miller School of Medicine mishandled a back injury Garcia sustained. Garcia, an outfielder from Venezuela, said at the time he experienced pain in his left lumbar and tightening to his lower back and left glute.

The lawsuit claims that a doctor with the school of medicine failed to report bilateral spondylolysis without listhesis as well as associated edema that was on the MRI. Garcia had an MRI performed, which revealed a diffuse disc bulge, central to left subarticular disc protrusion with annular fissure and mild spinal canal stenosis.

Consequences

Garcia underwent surgery in October 2024 to address the issue that included the placement of screws. The lawsuit claims the failure by the school of medicine to properly treat his injury initially led to his professional baseball career ending prematurely at the age of 32.

Garcia and his wife are requesting a jury trial and damages payment of more than $100,000. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine denied the allegations in Garcia’s lawsuit and claimed that Garcia “was fully informed of the risks of the treatment provided to him and, with appreciation of those risks, voluntarily participated in conduct that exposed him to the dangers not complained of; consequently, Plaintiffs’ claims are barred, in whole or in part, by the doctrine of express assumption of risk.”

Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.