The family of Bruce Springsteen sideman Clarence Clemons are allegedly suing three doctors who treated the saxophonist before his death. The doctors are accused of malpractice in their treatment of Clemons's carpal tunnel syndrome as they omitted medication that could have prevented his stroke, according to the lawsuit.
According to a new report by Showbiz411, Clemons's family quietly filed their claim in spring 2012, with a judge sealing the documents from public view. Now, almost two years after the E Street Band member died, the case has been approved for a jury trial. William Clemons, Clarence's brother, is spearheading the litigation.
When Clemons died, in June 2011, he had been wrestling for years with chronic pain. The musician had previously undergone surgery for retinal detachment, spinal fusion and several joint replacements. Earlier that summer, his wife told Rolling Stone , "Clarence lost sensation in his index finger and his thumb". "He had carpal tunnel surgery performed," Victoria Clemons explained. "He was seriously concerned about the ability to play sax again."
By all accounts, the surgery was successful. But lawyers for the Clemons family allege that doctors botched the 69-year-old's recovery. Their lawsuit names three specialists and the clinic where Clemons was apparently treated.
It seems that before his carpal tunnel operation, Clemons was prescribed blood-thinning drugs. He was allegedly taken off the medication before going under the knife, as is common, but didn't receive any mitigating treatment, such as Lovenox, before or after the surgery. The Clemons family reportedly blames this alleged mistake for the musician's stroke.
"[Clarence] lived his life like he played his sax – without holding back," his wife said last year. "His soul broke free when his body couldn't tolerate another struggle. He moved on to another dimension."
