Carvey Sues Doctor for Artery Error

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) â€” It was no laughing matter when comedian Dana Carvey came out of open-heart surgery and found out a doctor had operated on the wrong artery. <br><br>``I remember just lying in my

Friday, May 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) â€” It was no laughing matter when comedian Dana Carvey came out of open-heart surgery and found out a doctor had operated on the wrong artery.

``I remember just lying in my bed just sobbing,'' Carvey said Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court.

Carvey, 44, was testifying in his $7.5 million lawsuit against the San Francisco surgeon who made the mistake during double bypass surgery in 1998 to clear a blocked artery. Carvey has since recovered after getting the blockage removed by angioplasty.

He sued surgeon Elias Hanna last year to recover damages for the six months he spent recovering, saying he turned down offers to do commercials, a television series and a spot on ``Hollywood Squares.''

Hanna's defense lawyer contended Carvey has an ``unusual anatomy'' and that his blood vessels were in atypical positions.