Kreisman Law Offices Professional Corporation
Jennifer, a 25-year-old student, began experiencing severe headaches and visual disturbances. Several days later she went to a hospital emergency room. She told the ER staff she was not prone to headaches and that she was currently taking oral contraception. Jennifer was diagnosed with a complex migraine headache.
Several hours later however, she developed slurred speech, tingling and paralysis in her arm along with low blood pressure. An attending physician ordered a CT scan of Jennifer’s head, which was interpreted by a radiologist showing no evidence of acute hemorrhage. Jennifer’s condition continued to deteriorate, and she began experiencing seizures.
Finally, she was transferred to another hospital, where a second CT scan showed bilateral intracranial hemorrhages caused by thrombosis or a stroke. The doctors ordered brain surgery, which required a long and extensive rehabilitation program. She now has right-sided weakness and speech problems and requires lifetime medications.
Jennifer and her husband sued the physician and the medical practice alleging failure of choosing not to accurately read the first CT scan, note its abnormalities – which indicated an impending stroke – and communicate those findings to the patient’s attending healthcare providers.
The jury in this case awarded Jennifer and her husband a total of $5 million, which included $1 million to her husband for loss of consortium and services.
This case is a sample of the consequences of a medical provider missing an opportunity to correctly diagnose and treat an impending stroke. The consequences are devastating.
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling medical negligence cases, including the misdiagnosis of stroke patients for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 37 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Palatine, Chicago (Greektown), Chicago (Archer Heights), Brookfield, Chicago (Lakeview), Hillside, Yorkfield, Hinsdale, Wheaton, Western Springs, Worth and Chicago (Morgan Park), Ill.
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