Carson Sofro, 33, was diagnosed with having a malignant tumor in his colon. He underwent a resection performed by a colorectal surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Karsten at St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center. After removing the tumor, Dr. Karsten connected the colon and small bowel.
Sofro suffered a variety of symptoms after the surgery, including pain, vomiting and bloating. He sought treatment at St. Luke’s and was told that his symptoms were a normal complication of the surgery. Sofro continued to experience these symptoms for more than two years before being diagnosed as having a 360-degree twist in his small bowel. That condition required another resection, causing him to miss one month of work from his job as the owner of a basketball camp.
Sofro filed a lawsuit against St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center alleging liability by Dr. Karsten choosing not to ensure that the small bowel was not twisted before creating the anastomosis. There was a claim of lost income of $15,000. Anastomosis is a surgical procedure connecting adjacent blood vessels, parts of the intestine or other channels of the body.
The jury in this case signed a verdict for $632,000. However, the court then granted the defendants’ motion for a new trial holding that the jury award was excessive. In the interim, Sofro accepted the court’s remittitur or reduction of the jury’s verdict of $349,400.
The attorney representing Sofro was Michelle Boints. At trial, Sofro’s attorney presented an expert in colorectal surgery; the defendants presented experts in the same field of medical practice.
Sofro v. St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, No. 16-007519 (Idaho District Court, Ada County).
Kreisman Law Offices has been successfully handling medical malpractice lawsuits, hospital negligence cases and birth trauma injury lawsuits for individuals, families and loved ones who have been injured, harmed or killed by the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 40 years, in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Hickory Hills, Blue Island, Calumet Park, Western Springs, LaGrange Park, Northlake, Schiller Park, Schaumburg, Des Plaines, Highland Park, Highwood, Deerfield, Northbrook, Chicago (Garfield Park, Lawndale, Little Village, Englewood, Marquette Park, Pullman, Washington Heights, Beverly, Roscoe Village, Bronzeville), Berwyn, Cicero, Aurora and Joliet, Ill.
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