Six days after undergoing hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation, Alice Underwood, 82, was admitted to Victor Valley Global Medical Center for treatment of a urinary tract infection and dehydration. She suffered a surgical site infection while she was hospitalized, which caused her incision to separate.
Underwood underwent surgery to remove necrotic tissue, after which she was sent to a rehabilitation facility. Twenty-six days later, she died of cardiopulmonary arrest and infection. Underwood was survived by her three adult daughters and a son.
The Underwood family, through a daughter, individually and on behalf of the Underwood estate, sued the hospital alleging it chose not to provide wound care to Underwood for 12 days during her hospitalization. The lawsuit also alleged that the hospital’s nurse negligently sent Underwood to the rehabilitation facility without the appropriate and necessary antibiotics.
The jury signed a verdict for $1.39 million.
The attorneys successfully handling this case for the Underwood family were Alexander Feldman, Michael Moran and Damon Schwartz.
At trial, the Underwood family attorneys presented experts in nursing and infectious disease. The defense presented experts in nursing, infectious disease, wound analysis and plastic surgery.
Underwood v. Victor Valley Global Medical Center, No. 30-2016-00837584 (Cal. Super. Ct. Orange County).
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling medical malpractice lawsuits, surgical errors, infectious disease lawsuits, wrongful death cases, nursing negligence lawsuits and hospital negligence cases 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 Oak Park, Oak Lawn, Villa Park, Oak Brook, Westchester, LaGrange, Wheaton, St. Charles, Glen Ellyn, Oakbrook Terrace, Hillside, Maywood, Broadview, River Forest, River Grove, Schiller Park, Rosemont, Des Plaines, Glenview, Northfield, Prospect Heights, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Highland Park, Glencoe, Chicago (Rogers Park, Andersonville, Uptown, North Park, Ravenswood Manor, Avondale, Lincoln Park, Near North Side, Near East Side, River West, West Town, Noble Square, North Lawndale, East Garfield Park, McKinley Park, Auburn Gresham, Jackson Park, Chatham, Pullman, Riverdale), Calumet Park, Harvey, South Holland, Midlothian, Worth, Palos Hills, Hickory Hills and Olympia Fields, Ill.
Attorney Robert D. Kreisman has been an active member of the Illinois and Missouri bars since 1976.
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