In a tragic medical malpractice case, Jeanette Turner, who was just 42 years old, suffered permanent brain damage at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in 2006. It was alleged in the Cook County lawsuit that several doctors chose not to monitor and maintain her tracheotomy tube, which caused her injury…
Articles Posted in Misdiagnosis
Affirmed on Appeal: Medical Negligence Causing Death of Patient Results in $910,000 Jury Verdict
On Jan. 12, 2009, Paul Vanderhoof was admitted to the hospital for the surgical removal of his gallbladder. This procedure is also called a cholecystectomy. During the surgery, the surgeon, Dr. Richard Berk, severed the patient’s common bile duct after he misidentified it as the cystic duct. Another surgeon…
$4.09 Million Jury Verdict in Misdiagnosis of Gastric Outlet Obstruction
Jeannette Collins, 46, complained of abdominal pain, vomiting and nausea. She underwent testing, including a CT scan, at a hospital emergency room. The scan revealed a small bowel obstruction. General surgeons Dr. Ahmad Nuriddin and Dr. Manohar Nallathambi performed surgery on Collins during which they identified a purported gastric outlet…
$1.12 Million Jury Verdict in Failure to Prevent Death in Pulmonary Embolism
Michael Wagner was 48 and weighed 600 pounds. He underwent gastric bypass surgery performed by general surgeon Hans Schmidt M.D. and an assistant surgeon Sabastian Eid M.D. Wagner had been taking prophylactic the blood thinner, Heparin preoperatively. After the surgery, the dosage Wagner was receiving was reduced to once per…
Institute of Medicine Report Diagnostic Errors Gain Too Little Attention
Unfortunately, there are too many medical or hospital related errors that have injured or killed patients in the United States. According to a recent study by the Institute of Medicine, “Most people will experience at least one wrong or delayed diagnosis at some point in their lives, a blind spot…
Jury Enters $25.59 Million Verdict for Failure to Identify, Treat Intracranial Pressure Causing Permanent, Devastating Injuries
Carl Beauchamp, 44, fell and hit his head. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where he underwent testing and was released with instructions to return if he noticed changes in his state of mind. Beauchamp, who initially was able to walk, talk and respond to commands after the fall,…
Illinois Appellate Court Affirms Trial Judge’s Summary Judgment Regarding Cook County’s Sovereign Immunity in Medical Negligence Case
On July 30, 2008, Isaiah Lockhart went to the Haymarket Center, a chemical dependency facility. Lockhart had a history of alcohol withdrawal. However, when Lockhart complained of “shortness of breath, dizziness, a productive cough and weight loss,” he was sent to get a medical evaluation. Lockhart went by ambulance to…
$514,000 Jury Verdict Entered in Wrongful Death for Failure to Diagnose Internal Bleeding
Paul Bartholomew, 73, had a history of prostate cancer and placement of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter to protect him from blood clots. Ten years after receiving the IVC filter, he reported he had blood in his urine. When he saw his family physician, Dr. Ina Itzkovitz, she prescribed…
Misdiagnosis by a Physician Employed at a Government Controlled Facility is Immune Under the Illinois Tort Immunity Statute
Koni Johnson filed suit against two emergency physicians and their employer, Cook County, alleging the doctors were negligent in their treatment of her spinal cord injury. She had gone to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, a/k/a Cook County Hospital a day after she slipped and fell injuring her back. Johnson…
$1 Million Settlement for Patient Injured by Failure to Identify and Repair Negligently Sutured Ureters
This case was resolved in a confidential settlement. It dealt with an injury to a 50-year-old woman who underwent a hysterectomy performed by an obstetrician. During the surgery, it was revealed that a surgical sponge was missing. The doctor then performed a cystoscopy to examine the woman’s bladder and also…