Parents Of N.C. State Student File Lawsuit In Lidocaine Overdose Death

RALEIGH, N.C. — The parents of a North Carolina State University student who died of a lidocaine overdose nearly a year ago filed a lawsuit Wednesday blaming a former Raleigh doctor for their daughter's death.

Shiri Berg, 22, died of a lidocaine overdose on her way to a laser hair removal procedure last January.

From the beginning, her parents and the family's attorney asserted that Berg was improperly given prescription-strength numbing cream with no prescription, no medical exam and no medical directions.

Now, those assertions are part of a 32-page lawsuit that claims Premier Body Laser Clinics, which is now closed, is negligent in Berg's death. It also holds the pharmacy that made the lidocaine, Triangle Compounding of Cary, responsible. It also names Dr. Ira Uretzky, the clinic's medical director and Dr. Samuel Wurster, the former director of the spa.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for Berg's death.

Uretzky, who was sanctioned by the North Carolina Medical Board this summer, lost his license for six months as a result of the investigation into Berg's death. Neither of the businesses nor the doctors, however, has accepted any blame for Berg's death.