Wrongful Death Case Settles for $1 Million

As jury selection was about to begin in the courtroom of Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Duncan-Brice yesterday, the parties in a wrongful death case agreed to a $1 million settlement. The estate was represented by Michelle Kohut of Corboy & Demetrio.

On June 11, 2001, at approximately 3:30 a.m., the plaintiff, a 52-year-old computer programmer, went to the emergency room at Roseland Community Hospital with complaints of acute onset of chest pain radiating to her neck and back. She was diagnosed as having myocardial ischemia.  The initial chest x-ray, taken shortly after arrival, demonstrated an enlarged mediastinum, which should have increased the physicians’ level of suspicion that an aortic dissection was occurring.  At 3:00 p.m., the plaintiff died of an aortic dissection which led to a myocardial infarction.  The chest x-ray was either misread or not read at all. The emergency room physician failed to order a CT scan, which would have revealed an aortic dissection.  Had the appropriate steps been taken, The plaintiff could then have been transferred to a hospital where surgical repair could have been performed. The plaintiff is survived by a 32 year-old son.

Defendants Roseland Community Hospital, Nesstor Cuasay, M.D. and Uday Shah, M.D. were dismissed prior to the settlement.