This is so sad.
Back in March, country music star Hank Williams Jr. tragically lost his 58-year-old wife Mary Jane Thomas just one day after she’d gone under the knife in Jupiter, Florida. Now, the medical examiner is opening up about what exactly caused her death.
According to TMZ on Monday, the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner classified her death as an accident. Mary Jane reportedly suffered a fatal injury during a cosmetic procedure. People obtained a copy of the autopsy report which listed her cause of death specifically as a collapsed lung that was punctured during the elective plastic surgery. Yikes!!
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The medical examiner explained that Mary Jane underwent liposuction on her back, arms, and stomach on March 21. She also had a breast lift while getting her implants removed during the surgery. The autopsy report detailed:
“[The cause of death was] pneumothorax due to perforated parietal pleura during liposuction with autologous fat reinjection procedure.”
According to Science Direct, the parietal pleura is a membrane that’s bound by connective tissue to the inner surface of the chest wall. It plays a major role in the formation and removal of pleural fluid. During Mary Jane’s surgery, her doctor, Dr. Harold Bafitis, punctured the membrane while completing the fat transfer process as part of a breast lift following a breast implant removal, per the autopsy. That caused the lung to collapse. Wow.
The medical professional seemingly had no idea this had happened since she was released from the Bafitis Plastic Surgery facility at around 7 p.m. and taken to a recovery facility where she was “sitting up in bed, speaking normally” the next day when she “suddenly” became unresponsive.
As we reported, the Jupiter Police Department responded to a medical call from the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa at around 5 p.m. on March 22. The Tennessee native was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead about an hour after becoming unconscious. Authorities did not suspect foul play. The initial guess from a family member was that she had suffered complications from surgery. Four months later, we now know that’s accurate.
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Per TMZ, her plastic surgeon told the medical examiner that he was about to see the former Hawaiian Tropic model for a follow-up visit in her hotel room when she became unresponsive while sitting up in bed. He also insisted her vitals were normal the last time he saw his patient and noted that he had given her Lovenox, an anticoagulant, following the surgery.
It’s unclear at this time if there’s any legal action to be taken. While the manner of death is officially accidental, it doesn’t mean no one can be found liable in civil court. A representative for Bafitis Plastic Surgery has not responded to People’s request for comment.
The autopsy report listed a few other findings as well, including mild brain swelling, mild coronary artery disease, and fatty metamorphosis of the liver (common for people with a history of alcoholism, which she reportedly struggled with).
Such a very tragic end to her life. We’re thinking of all of Mary Jane’s loved ones as they process this devastating news. R.I.P.
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