Ignored MRI Causes Young Mom’s Death; Family Awarded $5.3M In Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

The family of a young woman who died after a doctor failed to read the results of an MRI settled an Illinois medical malpractice lawsuit for $5.3 million. While her husband and now six year old son are pleased with the Illinois medical malpractice settlement, they, like many others who have unnecessarily lost a loved one, wonder what would have been had the doctor acted responsibly.

Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawsuit: How It Could Have Been Avoided

The facts behind this Illinois medical malpractice lawsuit are tragic and could have been avoided – had the patient’s doctor simply checked the results of the test he ordered. According to news releases, 24 year old Samantha Medina was happily married and she and her husband had a two year old son.

In December of 2006, she began to experience stroke like symptoms including numbness on her right side, double vision and nausea. She was taken to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois where the staff administered an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test which showed that Medina had a congenital clotting condition which slowed the flow of blood to her brain.

Unfortunately, her doctor never read the results of the test, Medina received the wrong treatment and died two weeks later. Her family, stunned that so little effort would have been required to avoid the tragedy, hired an Illinois wrongful death lawyer and sued the doctor for medical malpractice. Although their lawyer was set to bring the case to trial, the parties recently settled for $5.3 million.

Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawsuit: How Long Do You Have To File & What Can You Recover?

If you or someone you love has been injured due to the negligence of a doctor, nurse, dentist or any other healthcare provider and want to file an Illinois medical malpractice lawsuit, you generally have two years in which to file. However, it’s always best to act sooner than later to ensure that your family’s interests are protected. The Illinois Wrongful Death Act provides for wrongful death damages including lost wages, pain and suffering, medical bills, loss of economic support, loss of society sustained by the decedent’s surviving family and more.

Contact an Illinois medical malpractice lawyer today to discuss your situation in strict confidence and without obligation. Your family may be entitled to compensation for your loss.