A doctor who witnesses said hit a patient during surgery has agreed to have his license placed on probation for five years.
The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure released the agreement with Dr. William R. Martin this week.
Martin, an orthopedic surgeon in Owensboro, denied hitting the patient, but agreed to a period of probation in lieu of having the board issue a complaint against him, according to the order.
The incident happened in August 2023 at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital.
One witness who was in the operating room said Martin was having trouble removing an instrument from a tube placed in a patient’s shoulder during surgery.
Martin raised his voice, and after getting the instrument out, hit the patient on the right side of the face with his hand, the witness said.
A second employee who was there said Martin was “visibly upset” while trying to pull out the instrument and punched the patient, according to the KBML order.
A third employee said when Martin’s use of the instrument wasn’t going like he wanted, he got mad, “yanked” it out and hit the patient in the face, according to the order.