(NewsNation) — A brain surgeon in Austria is on trial for allegedly allowing her 12-year-old daughter to operate a skull-piercing drill on a patient during emergency surgery last year.
The unnamed physician denies the accusations but admits to bringing her daughter into an operating room at Graz Regional Hospital in January 2024 as a farm worker was being treated following a blow to the head. The defense attorney for a second neurosurgeon charged in the trial says the child merely placed her hands on the drill alongside the other physician’s hands.
The indictment tells a different story. With the operation nearly complete, the mother allegedly handed her daughter the drill so that she could make a hole for a probe that would evaluate pressure in the skull. Once completed, the surgeon proudly announced what her daughter had done, prosecutor Julia Steiner said.
“What would have happened if the drill had been defective and had not stopped automatically after breaking through the skull bone? It was all incredibly disrespectful towards the patient,” Steiner said, according to a translated article posted on The Kronen Zeitung.
Both physicians have pleaded not guilty to minor bodily harm and face up to a year in prison if convicted. Both have been fired, published reports say. The charges came about after complaints generated from within the hospital came to light. Officials say the resulting scandal has harmed the institution’s reputation.
The trial has been adjourned until Dec. 10, when more testimony is expected.