On Tuesday, June 21, 2022 GMC Acadia sport utility vehicle, driven by defendant, was northbound on Illinois State Highway 394 (IL-394) approaching the Interstate I-94 interchange merge. At the same time, a silver 2016 Nissan Versa was disabled and parked in the interchange gore (painted median) between IL-394 and I-94 with its emergency hazard lights flashing. Its driver, the decedent, was sitting in the driver’s seat, waiting for a tow truck to remove the Nissan from the road. The GMC crossed out of the through traffic lane to the right into the gore. There it rear-ended the Nissan. After impact, both vehicles traveled northwest and stopped, blocking the northbound I-94 lanes of traffic. Co-counsel with Jonathan M. Thomas.

The case arises out of a wrongful death cause of action which alleges that physicians who treated plaintiff after he underwent a cervical C3-C6 laminectomy and fusion on May 11, 2018.   Thereafter on May 25th, he was noted to be hypotensive, the resuscitation team was called to the bedside, hes was intubated, and after intubation, he was unable to move or feel his arms and legs extremities.    He succumbed to his injuries and died on October 24, 2018 of complications.

F71 presented to Local Community Hospital for purposes of undergoing an anterior diskectomy and fusion surgery at C4-5.  During surgery, brisk bleeding was encountered and Surgiflo, a hemostatic agent, was utilized for bleeding control purposes.  Post-surgery, the patient did not regain consciousness timely and imaging confirmed ischemic stroke injuries to her brain.  Post-mortem exam identified the presence of a foreign substance consistent with Surgiflo in the vasculature preventing blood flow to the injured parts of her brain.  Plaintiff never regained consciousness following surgery; life support was withdrawn and she was pronounced dead five days post-surgery, leaving behind her husband and two adult children.  Plaintiff alleged that Surgiflo was unnecessary and negligently utilized and caused premature death.

Wrongful Death/Medical Malpractice: The minor Decedent was born with a congenital heart defect. Plaintiffs allege that the Defendant did not obtain their consent before converting a diagnostic procedure to an interventional procedure and negligently elected to place a plug in an attempt to occlude the minor’s collateral vessel. After failing to obtain total occlusion, the Defendant placed a second, larger Plug and caused perforation of the vessel and for the minor Decedent to exsanguinate and die.

Together with Joseph A. Power, Jr.- March 13, 2002 nursing staff failed to monitor plaintiff age 48, during his hospitalization for meningitis and failed to react to an abnormal pulse oximeter reading, allowing him to die from respiratory compromise due to Dilaudid. JAP

Together with Joseph A. Power, Jr.- On May 13, 2019 at 11:45 am, CW presented to the local academic hospital and was 39.1 weeks pregnant. On May 13, 2019 between 6:24 pm- 6:28 pm, the fetal heart rate monitor on CW demonstrated the fetal heart rate to have moderate variability and no accelerations. On May 13, 2019, and throughout the time CW was on fetal heart monitoring at a major research hospital, the fetal heart tracings were Category II. On May 13, 2019 and after 23:45 hours, the fetal heart tracings continued to show absent accelerations with recurrent late decelerations. On May 14, 2019, the fetal heart tracings continued to show recurrent late decelerations and were absent accelerations. On May 14, 2019, at or before 4:24 am, the fetal heart tracings changed to Category III with no variability. On May 14, 2019 at approximately 7:25 hours, the obstetrician, due to concerns with the fetal heart monitoring tracing delivered plaintiff. On May 14, 2019 at approximately 7:34 hours, a forceps delivery was performed and at approximately 7:34 hours, minor plaintiff was born. On May 14, 2019, CHW was born with no heart rate, APGAR scores of 0,1,1, and 3 at 1,5, 10 and 15 minutes of life respectively. On May 14 ,2019, the umbilical cord pH for the minor plaintiff measured less than 6.8. On May 18, 2019, CH.W. died of severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Plaintiff alleged that on May 13 and May 14, 2019, various employees of the hospital deviated from the standard of care in the labor and delivery management of C.W. and CH.W. by failing to evaluate, document and diagnose the health of CH.W. in utero on May 13, 2019; failed to deliver CH.W. in a timely manner on May 13, 2019; failed to deliver minor plaintiff sooner on either May 13th or May 14th, 2019; failed to recognize the multiple signs and symptoms of a baby in distress on May 13 or May 14, 2019 and negligently increased the dosage of Pitocin to minor plaintiff. (2008)

Medical Malpractice/Birth Injury/Wrongful Death: Following an induction of labor on January 19, 2021, the baby’s fetal heart rate tracings were initially normal. However, over the course of the next two days, the tracings became abnormal as did the mother’s contraction pattern. Pitocin administration continued despite the presence of abnormal tracings, without intervention from the medical providers, which included attending physicians, resident physicians, and nurses. According to Plaintiff’s experts, a c-section should have been performed on the afternoon of January 20th or the early morning of January 21st, based on the irregular and problematic heart rate tracings. Instead, a crash c-section was performed in the mid-morning of January 21st. The baby was born with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and died on the same day of her birth. She is survived by her parents.

I.R. v. Local Suburban Hospital and Nurse Anesthetist

(2024) Medical negligence/wrongful death: 76 year-old male presented Chicagoland area community hospital for purposes of an elective laminectomy to address his back pain. Anesthesia management was provided by a Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and no anesthesiologist or other medical doctor was involved in anesthesia care. The CRNA did not recognize intraoperative vital sign abnormalities, did not communicate the abnormalities to the in-house anesthesiologist(s), and did not intervene to correct and improve the vital sign trends. Inappropriate dosing of anesthetic agents was utilized throughout surgery, which resulted in deterioration of the patient’s blood pressure and a cardiopulmonary arrest. Plaintiff alleged that lack of physician oversight and CRNA mismanagement caused the patient’s death. Co-counsel with Kathryn L. Conway.

K.L. v. A Local Hospital (Cook County)

(2023) Medical Malpractice/Birth Injury/Wrongful Death: Immediately after birth, Plaintiff’s newborn daughter required breathing assistance due to a nuchal cord (the umbilical cord around the baby’s neck as she progressed down the birth canal). A pediatric team was standing by at delivery and made two failed attempts to intubate the newborn baby. A neonatal team was called for additional resuscitative efforts and in the interim oxygenation by laryngeal mask airway was not attempted. After intubation, the baby’s heart rate never improved. Plaintiff’s experts believed that the endotracheal tube was not properly placed. Eleven minutes after being pronounced, the baby was noted to still be breathing. Resuscitation efforts were then re-started. She was again pronounced later that day. Decedent is survived by her parents. Co-Counsel with Kathryn L. Conway.

Settlement: $2,500,000.00

Plaintiff alleged that defendant healthcare providers were negligent in failing to timely recognize and surgically resect a perforated colon caused by ingestion of a foreign body, which resulted in the patient’s death. Decedent was survived by his wife.