$1.25 Million Jury Verdict in Failure to Order Timely CT Scan in Aortic Dissection Death Case

Bryan O’Neal Roach, 23, went to a hospital emergency room complaining of chest pain. The physician assistant, Amber Harring, examined him. Diagnostic tests were ordered including an EKG, chest X-ray and bloodwork. Harring later discharged Roach after diagnosing atypical chest pain and febrile illness.

Unfortunately, later that morning, Roach died of an aortic dissection. He was survived by his parents.

The Roach family sued Harring, her employer, and her supervising physician, alleging they chose not to order a CT scan in light of Roach’s grossly abnormal chest X-ray, which showed a wide mediastinum. A mediastinum is an abnormal membranous partition between two body cavities or two parts of an organ, especially between the lungs. A widened mediastinum is indicative of an aortic aneurysm or an aortic dissection and other life-threatening conditions. This condition should have been diagnosed and treated as a medical emergency.

The Roach family also claimed that the treating doctor decided not to examine Roach and that the defendants chose not to determine the cause of his chest pain before they discharged him.

Following a jury trial, the jury signed a verdict in favor of the Roach family for $1.25 million for this tragic death.

At trial, the Roach family presented experts in emergency medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, and physician assistants.

The defendants presented experts in cardiothoracic surgery, emergency medicine and physician assistants.

The attorneys successfully handling this lawsuit for the Roach family were Vincent Cook and R. Christopher Irwin III.

Roach v. Athens Clarke Emergency Specialists, No. SU14CV1333 (Ga. Super. Ct. Athens-Clarke County).

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling misdiagnosis of aortic dissection lawsuits, medical negligence cases, wrongful death lawsuits, emergency medicine negligence cases and radiology errors for individuals, families and loved ones who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 40 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Prospect Heights, Des Plaines, Northfield, Glenview, Riverwoods, Long Grove, Mundelein, Zion, Waukegan, North Chicago, Gurnee, Crystal Lake, Cary, Lake in the Hills, Round Lake, Lincolnshire, Deerfield, Winnetka, Schiller Park, Berwyn, Cicero, Joliet, St. Charles, Countryside, Chicago (Chicago Lawn, Washington Heights, Beverly, Garfield Ridge, Avalon Park, Calumet Heights, Pullman, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park, South Side, Douglas, Oakland, Kenwood, Hyde Park, Greek Town, Ukrainian Village, Old Town, Near East Side, Roscoe Village, Ravenswood Manor, Albany Park, West Rogers Park), Schiller Park, Franklin Park, Northlake, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Roselle and Naperville, Ill.

Robert D. Kreisman has been an active member of the Illinois and Missouri bars since 1976.