Joliet Medical Malpractice Law Blog

The death of a young child or infant is undoubtedly a heartbreaking experience for parents and families. Although some Illinois parents who have had to go through this type of tragic loss may understand that nothing could have been done to prevent the death of their young child, others are tormented for the rest of their lives knowing that their child's death could have been avoided.

One couple has stated that they have been "tormented" by their infant son's death over the past three years. The couple's son died of suffocation while he was being treated at a hospital for symptoms of bronchiolitis; however, the couple was never given an answer as to what had caused their child to suffocate and die.

The couple filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the doctor and hospital that had treated their son. After their case went to trial last month, the couple finally learned what had happened to their child. A jury concluded that the hospital and doctor had committed medical malpractice when treating the ill infant.

When Joliet doctors prescribe powerful medications to patients, such as painkillers, doctors must make sure they are prescribing these types of drugs in a safe manner.

Doctors should acknowledge that their patients may become addicted to painkillers. In order to prevent this from happening, doctors can make sure they only prescribe these drugs when absolutely necessary. Doctors also have a responsibility to make sure they prescribe safe doses for patients. Doctors should always explain the potential side effects patients may experience from taking painkillers, and doctors should also review patients' medical histories before prescribing painkillers to avoid dangerous drug interactions.

When doctors ignore these responsibilities when prescribing drugs, they risk making medication errors that could cause patients to suffer fatal injuries. For example, a mother recently filed a lawsuit against a doctor who she claims was responsible for her daughter's death. The woman's daughter died from drug toxicity. The mother claims her daughter's wrongful death could have been prevented had her daughter's doctor been more careful when prescribing powerful painkillers.

Earlier this week, a family learned that a jury decided to side with a doctor in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The family's child had suffered an injury during birth five years ago. The family argued that the doctor who had delivered their baby had caused the injury, but a jury concluded this week that the doctor did not cause the baby's birth injury because the doctor had enough experience to know how to prevent and avoid causing injuries when delivering babies, even during emergency situations.

Although experienced doctors may be less likely to make mistakes, experienced doctors may still be responsible making errors due to negligence. The family had filed a malpractice lawsuit against the delivering doctor because they had believed that the doctor caused the baby to suffer an injury by using too much traction when delivering the baby. However, the doctor claimed that she did what was necessary to deliver the baby as safely as possible during an emergency.

In 2004, a patient visited her doctor because she was feeling ill. Her diagnosis was devastating. The doctor told her that she had cancer and that her condition was terminal. Our readers in Joliet may be surprised to learn that the woman is alive nearly 10 years after the diagnosis was made. This is because the woman did not have terminal cancer when she sought medical attention from her doctor. The woman had pneumonia.

Although the woman may be glad that the doctor was wrong about her having terminal cancer, the doctor's misdiagnosis resulted in other devastating consequences that have changed the patient's life. The woman's life will never be the same, but she has been able to obtain some justice for her injuries, pain and suffering. Last month, a jury awarded the woman $813,000 for her injuries and medical expenses resulting from her doctor's mistake.