Regrettably, lack of appropriate care causes adverse outcomes for many patients who visit Illinois hospitals. This is usually caused by understaffing and hospital negligence. In one such case, a woman who was suffering a heart attack died while she was in the emergency room. The family filed a lawsuit alleging that the staff failed to properly triage her.
Back in 2008, the woman visited the hospital after she began to experience chest pains. While she was waiting in the emergency room, she asserts that she was not properly triaged and went over 20 minutes without receiving medical treatment. According to the claims contained in the complaint, the hospital’s staff members did not respond immediately to the woman’s condition — even after being requested to do so by her family. Reportedly, repeated requests for medical assistance were ignored, and the family was informed that they would need to wait for assistance.
During that time, a video revealed that there were two physicians that were available, but neither did not offer treatment. Eventually, the woman collapsed while still in the emergency waiting room, and even after that, staff members apparently took an additional 15 minutes to get her into a treatment room. At trial, one of the heart doctors argued that even if the woman was treated immediately, she would not have survived. The jury deliberated and awarded the family $4 million.
This case is a tragic example of how hospital negligence can cause a patient’s death. Regrettably, there are shortcomings at a number of hospitals caused by lack of training and other forms of negligence. There are avenues of legal recourse families can take to seek recovery of financial damages when faced with these unfortunate circumstances. An experienced personal injury attorney in Illinois can help navigate through the civil process and provide valuable assistance in preparing and presenting a medical malpractice claim.
Source: pntonline.com, “Clovis hospital loses wrongful death lawsuit”, Robin Fornoff, May. 4, 2015