Oregon Teen Dies From Sepsis —Family Sues Doctors Who Stitched Up His Wound Without Properly Cleaning It

An Oregon teen died of sepsis after the doctors failed to clean his wound before stitching. His family has now filed a lawsuit against the two medical professionals who treated the boy at a Corvallis hospital. According to the $100 million lawsuit, doctors did not remove pine needles and debris from his injury before stitching it up.

The victim has been identified as Ethan Cantrell, 18. He died on August 20, 2024. In April 2026, his family filed a medical negligence lawsuit against the doctors at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.

According to the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Cantrell injured his right arm while cutting wood. On Aug. 15, 2024, he was taken to the emergency room, where a doctor allegedly “attempted to irrigate” the wound with saline before stitching it closed “tightly.”

An X-ray reportedly showed “soft tissue air, but no bone abnormality and no radio-opaque foreign body.” However, the lawsuit states that dirt and pine needles typically would not appear on an X-ray.

Cantrell was later discharged and prescribed antibiotics. That same afternoon, according to the complaint, he developed a fever and increasing pain in his swollen right arm.

The lawsuit alleges that Cantrell’s mother called the hospital but was told there was no immediate cause for concern because he was taking antibiotics. By the next day, his arm had become more painful and swollen, and he was also experiencing symptoms including difficulty breathing and headaches.

When he returned to the emergency room, the same doctor allegedly suspected a deep-tissue infection. However, the lawsuit claims the doctor still did not remove the stitches.

The condition of Cantrell’s right arm only worsened in the next few hours, and at one point, his wound also began leaking fluid. When his wound was cut open, “over twelve pieces of organic plant matter, including twigs, pine needles, and moss,” were removed from it.

He was transferred to Oregon Health & Science after it was confirmed that he was suffering from a bacterial infection. The teen came under a life-threatening condition. Doctors performed multiple surgeries on him, including amputating his whole hand.

On August 20, he died from “necrotizing soft tissue infection from a puncture injury in his right arm.” In the lawsuit, his family wrote, “As a result of Defendants’ negligence that killed Ethan, his mother Jody Mae Cantrell, father Chris Steven Cantrell, as well as his siblings Kymberlee Cantrell, Myla Cantrell, and Thea Cantrell, have all suffered damages.”

Vice president and chief legal officer for Samaritan Health Services, Tyler Jacobsen, said in a statement, “Our sympathies are with all who have been impacted by this loss.” He added that the hospital will respond to the suit “through the appropriate legal process.”