Man's Right Testicle Hurt for 15 Years. Doc Removed Left One

A Pennsylvania man is $870,000 richer after a jury ruled his urologist committed "reckless indifference" when he removed the wrong testicle from his patient, PennLive.com reports. Steven Hanes' right testicle had been causing him intense pain for 15 years. According to Fox 43, it was about half the size of the 54-year-old's left testicle. Hanes consulted urologist Dr. V. Spencer Long in 2013, and Long recommended removing the painful testicle. But after the surgery, Long wrote in a report: "It appeared that the left testicle and cord may actually have been removed instead." A follow-up visit confirmed that.

On Wednesday, a jury awarded Hanes $620,000 in damages for pain and suffering and $250,000 in punitive damages. Meanwhile, Hanes' right testicle is still hurting. "Mr. Hanes is now forced to either live with the painful testicle or undergo treatment that could result in the loss of the remaining testicle, making him reliant on hormone therapy the rest of his life," his lawyer tells the Legal Intelligencer. (More testicles stories.)