A botched Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure that resulted in a woman’s death has led a Miami plastic surgeon to cough up $10,000 and attend a one-hour lecture class.
According to NBC Miami, Tanesha Walker, 47, traveled from Indiana to Florida to have her breasts reduced. The initial facility she intended to have the procedure done had refused to work on her, so when she got to Miami, she decided to not only have the breast reduction, but have liposuction and a BBL as well.
In April of last year, she arrived at the New Life Plastic Surgery Center and begun the procedure shortly after 9am. The procedure was conducted by Dr. Oliver Simmons.
According to Dr. Simmons, the procedure ended around 11am and Walker appeared to be in good spirits. She was then transferred to a recovery home, but during the trip, the patient became unresponsive. Medical professionals proceeded to take her to the hospital.
“When she came into the truck, she was telling them she was lightheaded, and she didn’t feel well,” Tataneshia Middleton, Walker’s niece, told reporters.
Three days later, Walker died.
It was later revealed that Walker was at a high-risk for office surgery because she was a diabetic and had a history of high blood pressure. Instead, she was supposed to have the procedure done in a hospital, according to a Black Enterprise report.
Dr. Simmons “injected fat into the gluteal muscle,” causing Walker to have pulmonary embolism, which resulted in her death.
An autopsy conducted by the Miami-Dade Chief Medical Examiner revealed that “many vessels filled with fat emboli” and “there [was] vegetable matter in the small airways” of Walker’s system.
Dr. Simmons was found to have “violated Florida law by injecting fat into Walker’s gluteal muscles during the surgery” and must reimburse $9,588.67 to the “department’s investigation and prosecution costs.”
The surgeon has also been ordered to attend a one-hour class “on safety and possible complications” of cosmetic procedures and use “ultrasound guidance” during BBL procedures.
NBC Miami has further revealed that Walker is the second patient to die from a procedure done at New Life Plastic Surgery, adding that roughly 6,900 doctors in Florida don’t carry malpractice insurance but continue to operate on patients.
“My mom isn’t supposed to be dead. She’s still supposed to be here with us,” Walker’s daughter shared in a statement.
