BOSTON -- The family of an 81-year-old man who died after an alleged mishap in the operating room is suing a doctor and nurse at Milton Hospital.

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Jack Harper Reports On Lawsuit

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported Monday that Paul Shute died 19 days after doctors allegedly set the man's throat on fire during surgery in 1999.

"Because after a lot of thought, I decided it was the right thing to do," Shute's wife of 54 years, Katherine Shute, said.

While opening Paul Shute's trachea, Dr. Peter Friedenshohn punctured an oxygen tube in the patient's throat. When he used a hot, electrical device to cauterize an artery, the air tube ignited.

"In the operating room, the doctor and the nurse anesthetist lit a fire inside Mr. Shute's throat. That fire ignited a plastic tube that burned inside his throat, putting off heat and toxic fumes. He died 19 days later," Katherine Shute's attorney William Thompson said.

Friedenshohn's attorney said that the fire was put out in seconds and the injuries were superficial. He said that there is no reasonable likelihood that the accident contributed to the death.

The family is also suing the nurse, Rhonda Chappielle.

Shute had a history of heart trouble, but his family said that he was getting stronger.

"Hopefully, some good will come out of this. We can’t bring him back, but hopefully, it won't happen to someone else as well," Paul Shute's son, Robert Shute, said.