Category: Wrongful Death

Sepsis contributes to roughly one in three hospital deaths in the United States, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. [JAMA] Despite its prevalence and severity, healthcare providers often fail to recognize sepsis in its early stages, thereby allowing it to progress and wreak havoc on a person’s body. Sepsis occurs when the body’s […]
Hospital Negligence + Wrongful Death

A concerning study published in Archives of Surgery revealed that approximately 15 percent of licensed surgeons showed signs of alcohol-related problems. Female surgeons reported these issues at a significantly higher rate than male surgeons. Despite this, surgeons in the United States are not subject to routine alcohol or substance abuse screenings, unlike professionals in other […]
Wrongful Death

Victims of a medical mistake are often dealing with difficult emotions and are understandably mad, sad, frustrated, confused, and in pain. They are looking for justice. Victims find themselves in a difficult position at a time when they are emotionally and financially drained.  The complexity of a medical negligence lawsuit can seem very overwhelming. Just recently the […]
Hospital Negligence + Surgical Errors + Wrongful Death

While often deemed otherwise, doctors are normal human beings and therefore not infallible. When a doctor makes a mistake, the stakes are often high and may result in a patient suffering harm, injury and even death. When medical mistakes occur, it is the responsibility of hospital administrators to take steps to thoroughly investigate the matter […]
Wrongful Death

Residents around the U.S. and in states like Illinois often turn to doctors and other medical professionals when experiencing pain or other worrisome physical symptoms. From a young age, many people grow up revering doctors and come to regard those men and women who choose the profession as intelligent and compassionate individuals who are focused […]
Wrongful Death

Laser hair removal has seen an increase in popularity in the United States as more men and women are looking for ways to save time in their beauty routines. Laser hair removal offers many benefits to individuals and has become the number one cosmetic procedure in the country. In 2011 alone, more than 1.6 million […]
Wrongful Death

Medical errors can be very dangerous for patients in the United States. Medical errors can result in serious complications and even death so it is vital that hospitals understand what contributes tomedical errors to develop strategies to prevent these mistakes from happening in the future. While we have known for a long time that medical […]
Wrongful Death

When faced with the prospect of having to undergo a surgical procedure, most individuals listen to their doctor’s advice. If a doctor advises a patient to opt for a procedure utilizing the most advanced technology, most would likely trust their doctor’s opinion. This type of over selling seems to increasing be a problem when it […]
Wrongful Death

While the following story did not occur here in Illinois, the circumstances of one Canadian woman’s surgery (and the unfortunate aftermath) could happen to anyone in the US. The 52-year-old woman went in for a double mastectomy in 2012, and the surgery was a success — at least on the surface. As the woman was […]
Wrongful Death

Doctors don’t always push for aggressive treatment when a patient shows signs of a troubling illness. That can be the appropriate strategy in some cases, but in others the doctor may be underestimating the severity of the disease or how quickly it is developing. The result can be very serious if the negligent care is […]
Wrongful Death

The judge in a $6.2 million medical malpractice case has refused the defendant doctor’s request to set aside the jury’s decision or order a new trial. The jury had found following trial that the doctor’smedical negligence caused the death of a 2-month-old infant in 2010. It remains to be seen if the doctor will appeal […]
Wrongful Death

Many critics of medical malpractice lawsuits may make several generalizations about what they believe the “typical” plaintiff to be. Among these common stereotypes is that many plaintiffs are out to get as much money as possible from the negligent doctor. Supposedly, people who have received poor medical care see the situation as a “payday.” In […]
Wrongful Death

Receiving an organ donation has risks, as people in Illinois know, but those who need a new heart, kidney or other vital organ to survive rely on the organ donation process to ensure that those organs are safe and free from disease. That system failed in a case where doctors did not determine that an […]
Wrongful Death

Almost anybody in Illinois who has spent time in a hospital will tell you that it can be a noisy place. Patients are often connected to several machines and monitors that beep, honk and make other noises. These sounds are meant to indicate when the patient is doing well — and when a nurse needs […]
Wrongful Death

A hospital-acquired infection can be deadly. Patients who are being treated at Joliet hospitals are already facing complications that are jeopardizing their health, and adding an infection to the list of one’s health complications may put one’s life in even more danger. In order to ensure patients get the treatment they need and the quality […]
Wrongful Death

When nursing home patients are neglected by nursing home workers in Chicago, they are vulnerable to suffering serious or fatal health complications. Earlier this month, a lawsuit was filed against an Illinois nursing home accusing the facility of neglecting a patient on numerous occasions. The alleged neglect had caused the nursing home resident to suffer […]
Wrongful Death

Two years ago at the age of 28, professional hockey player Derek Boogaard died of a pain medication overdose. Last week, the player’s family filed a lawsuit against the NHL in Chicago, alleging that the NHL is responsible for Boogaard’s wrongful death. The family claims that the NHL is responsible for Boogaard’s death because the […]
Wrongful Death

According to reports, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has finally decided to suspend the license of a doctor who was responsible for making fatal mistakes when treating one of his patients in 2007. State officials had been asked over a year ago to revoke the doctor’s license. However, the doctor has since […]
Wrongful Death

Last month on our Chicago medical malpractice law blog, we had mentioned that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors to take part in a survey regarding a newer medical device that is gaining popularity in hospitals in Illinois and throughout the country. The FDA wants to learn more about how surgeons are […]
Wrongful Death

There are many things Illinois families worry about when choosing a nursing home or long-term care facility for their loved ones. Families are concerned about the safety of their loved ones. They want to make sure their loved ones will continue to receive the medical treatment they need, and they also want to make sure […]
Wrongful Death