The actor and martial arts champion has announced a lawsuit against the companies that produce the machines and the MRI contrast agent. He aims to get 10 million in compensation
Chuck Norris against the pharmaceutical industry. The protagonist of "Walker Texas Ranger" has asked for 10 million dollars in compensation from the companies that manufacture the MRI machines: Norris claims that the contrast substance used to perform this test would have poisoned his wife Gena. The compensation would cover the medical expenses, but also the job opportunities refused by the actor to look after his 54-year-old wife. Among the companies mentioned by the plaintiff is also the Italian multinational Bracco.
The testimony of Gena Norris
As it reports Associated Press, Chuck Norris, 77 years old, turned to the Superior Court of San Francisco, suing the companies that produce the machines and substances to perform magnetic resonance imaging. In fact, after the gadolinium injection, Gena Norris, the actor's wife, would have accused a sense of debilitating pain, weakness and burning. The woman had undergone three tests of the same type, thus receiving three injections of the substance. According to San Francisco Business Times, Gena Norris underwent the administrations in 2012, reassured by the medical staff about the substance. “I started feeling the effects immediately, without connecting anything – he said -. After the third MRI I definitely noticed that something was wrong. It all started with this intense burning in my body, which I can't describe except as if someone had injected me with acid”. After these tests, Ms. Norris went to the emergency room several times. “I am a healthy woman. I have exercised my whole life. So everything that happened to me is a nightmare for me. They poisoned the wrong woman."
The legal action
Among the companies accused by Norris there is also the Italian multinational Bracco, leading company in the sector d
diagnostic imaging. In addition to the Milanese company, Norris has pointed the finger at giants such as McKesson Corp. and Acist Medical Systems. The actor's claim for compensation is 10 million dollars, an amount that would cover damages, medical expenses, but also the work that the actor had to refuse to stay next to his 54-year-old wife. Regarding gadolinium, the Radiological Society of North America has declared that contrast agents based on this substance have been used for diagnostics and treatment indications by more than 100 million patients worldwide for over 25 years and that, over time, it has proved to be an essential substance, capable of saving life by producing crucial medical data. “These agents enhance the quality of MRI images by altering the magnetic properties of water molecules in the body. By improving the visibility of specific organs, blood vessels and tissues, contrast agents help doctors diagnose and treat a wide variety of conditions such as cancer, infection or bleeding."
Related news: EMA communication on gadolinium. Four linear gadolinium-based contrast agents banned
