Personal Injury Law

Family of 10-Year-Old Patient Who Lost Left Leg Awarded $22.3 Million for Chicago Medical Malpractice involving Injuries to a Child

Yesterday, a Cook County jury awarded the parents of Jake Tinman $22.3 million for Chicago medical malpractice involving injuries to a minor. Doctors amputated Jake's leg a couple of weeks after his birth because it wasn't properly dressed following a surgical procedure.

Jake, now 10, was born with a congenital heart defect on May 15, 1999. His condition required that he undergo a shunt procedure. Two weeks after he was sent home from the hospital, he was rushed to an emergency room. According to the Chicago injury lawsuit, the negligent care he received, including the alleged failure to properly dress his leg in the operating room, resulted in injuries that required that the amputation of his left leg. Cardiac catheterization and delayed treatment reportedly resulted in developmental delays and cognitive deficiencies.

The jury found that Advocate Christ Medical Center/Hope Children's Hospital and its staff neglected to diagnose Jake?s shunt problem in a timely manner, did not properly apply and remove in a timely manner a pressure dressing on Jake?s leg, improperly made him undergo cardiac catheterization, improperly destroyed his echocardiogram, and did not monitor his pulse.

Medical Malpractice
Medical negligence can cause serious injury and death. Infants are especially vulnerable to serious infections, health complications, and injuries when subjected to medical neglect or errors. The physical or developmental injuries that can result can alter the course of a child?s life forever. Not only can they end up depriving the child of the ability to experience a ?normal? life, but he or she may require special, costly medical care into adulthood. Birthing malpractice, failure to diagnose birth defects or conditions, hospital injuries, surgical errors, giving a baby the wrong medication, and accidentally switching infants at birth or the eggs during fertilization are some of the many reasons why parents of newborns may have grounds for suing for Chicago medical malpractice.

Boy's parents awarded $22.3M from Christ hospital, Sun-Times Media, November 24, 2009

Jury Awards $22.3 Mil. In Medical Negligence Suit, CBS2 Chicago, November 24, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Damages in Medical Malpractice Cases, Nolo

Advocate Christ Medical Center/Hope Children's Hospital

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on November 25, 2009 (boomark / email).