Recently, Cook County commissioners voted to pay $20 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against Cook County’s public health system. The lawsuit was brought by a mother after her three-year-old boy sustained irreversible brain damage as a result of a cardiac arrest after surgeons at Stroger Hospital tried to repair his undescended testicle.
The cardiac arrest happened in December 2011 while the boy was recovering from his surgery. Personnel at Stroger Hospital waited for five minutes before initiating CPR after his heart stopped beating. It took 15 minutes for a pulse to emerge once the child came back. According to CBS, the lack of oxygen, coupled with the heart attack, caused his brain injury, which will be permanent. The structured settlement will be covered with taxpayer money.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only catastrophic injury lawsuit brought against Cook County’s Health and Hospital system. There are three others. In one, a deceased woman’s estate also filed a multi-million dollar suit alleging she was not treated properly for an infection she acquired while being treated for cancer at Stroger. She had to undergo multiple amputations and died two years later. In another, a deceased man’s estate sued, claiming he didn’t receive adequate care to treat an infection that he got from an external fixator attached to his arm while in jail. He allegedly developed sepsis at Stroger and died.
As you can see from these plaintiffs, there are many kinds of improper care and injuries that can lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit, from cardiac arrest to sepsis, from medication errors to surgical mistakes. Those who are harmed by medical negligence may need to be cared for for the rest of their lives, like the toddler described above. They may lose their lives, like the second and third plaintiffs described. While no amount of money can make up for the pain suffered by the mother of the toddler, the settlement may give her the financial ability to take care of the toddler’s special needs as someone with a brain injury.
Doctors and medical personnel at hospitals owe a duty of reasonable care to their patients even if they practice medicine at a public facility like Stroger. When they fail to meet the medical standard of care and an injury results, those who are harmed may file a lawsuit to be financially compensated for all the losses that flow from the injury. In this case, the Cook County Board of Commissioners had to approve the settlement on behalf of the public. The timelines and procedures can be difficult in cases involving public entities.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by a medical provider’s error, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury or loss. Give the hardworking attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. a call at (312) 924-7575 to discuss your rights. Our caring Chicago personal injury lawyers are available 24 hours per day, seven days of the week to help you file your case. For a free consultation with a capable advocate, please contact Abels & Annes, P.C. through the law firm’s website.
Note: Abels & Annes, P.C. did not represent any of the victims’ families in the above mentioned lawsuits.
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