The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that the emergency-room resident physician, Dr. Nicholas Strane, was immune from suit under the Illinois Emergency Medical Services System Act. This case arises out of transporting an 11-year-old boy, Donail Weems, who had a severe asthma attack and was taken to Provident Hospital, which is…
Articles Posted in Emergency Medical Services
Appellate Court Affirms Decision That Expert Testimony is Required in Lawsuit In Which it Was Alleged Amputation Resulted From Fracture Caused by Negligent Transfer
A Minnesota Appellate Court has held that expert testimony was required to prove a plaintiff’s claim that the paramedic’s negligent transfer was the cause of a patient’s ankle injury and later resulted in a leg amputation. Mary C. suffered from various health problems and was a left-leg amputee. After she…
Cook County Deadlocked on Death Caused by an Omission by Radiologist
On Jan. 8, 2008, Nicole Yerkovich, who was 35 at the time, was taken by ambulance to the emergency department at LaGrange Memorial Hospital because of severe abdominal pain and nausea. The ER doctor at the hospital ordered a contrast CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis to see if…
Illinois Jury Considers Medical Malpractice Death That Occurred During Leg Surgery from MRSA Infection
Anthony Bausal was transported by ambulance to the emergency department at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Ill., on Sept. 20, 2008. Bausal had a cellulitis infection in his left leg, increased pain and shortness of breath. He also had underlying conditions of lupus nephritis, cardiomyopathy and chronic anemia.…
State Supreme Court Bars Claim Indemnity Action Against Hospital Under Medical Malpractice Statute of Repose
At issue in this South Carolina Supreme Court case was whether the medical malpractice statute of repose applied to indemnify the claim of Columbia/CSA-HS Greater Columbia Healthcare System — also known as Providence Hospital. The trial court in the Court of Appeals in South Carolina held that it does and…
$2.7 Million Cook County Jury Verdict for the Death by Pulmonary Embolism After Hysterectomy
Mary Mitchell underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, but the doctor chose not to employ the appropriate prophylactic measures to prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism that was alleged to have caused or contributed to her untimely and unfortunate death.. The doctor who did the surgery, Dr. Amalendu Majumdar was…
Fatal Vein Rupture During Cardiac Catherization Medical Malpractice Claim Ends in Verdict for Doctor
A Cook County jury found that no medical negligence that caused the death of Jerome Granat following a cardiac catherization. On June 16, 2010, the defendant cardiologist, Dr. Surendra Avula, performed a cardiac catherization procedure on 64-year-old Granat at Advocate Christ Hospital. The patient’s previous cardiac history included quadruple coronary…
Undiagnosed Bowel Obstruction Leads to Death and $2.4 Million Jury Verdict
On March 10, 2007, Ramona Sue Yates was a patient in the emergency room at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. She complained of severe back and abdominal pain. The defendant, emergency room physician, Dr. Daniel Doolittle, who was employed by the defendant Legatus Emergency Services, chose not to correctly diagnose…
Cook County Jury Finds For Doctor in Head Trauma Medical Negligence Case
On Feb. 13, 2008, Richard Potrawski was taken by ambulance to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Ill., after suffering a head injury during a slip and fall on ice. Mr. Potrawski was brought to the emergency room at 12:30 pm. He had a large contusion above his…
Undiagnosed Kidney Infection Results in Win for Doctor
Virginia Gettys was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland, Ill., with abdominal pain, abdominal distension and a report of bloody stools. This followed a recent colonoscopy. Gettys was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 14, 2004. The defendant, Dr. Jose Diaz, a general surgeon, performed an exploratory laparotomy to see the cause…