$6.75 Million for Wrongful Death of Man Who Died in the Hospital Waiting Room

$6.75 Million for Wrongful Death of Man Who Died in the Hospital Waiting Room

The wife and two adult children of a 60-year-old male have settled their lawsuit against a Chicagoland Hospital regarding medical negligence that took place in Cook County and resulted in his tragic death. On May 27, 2020, the patient presented to the defendant’s ER due to chest pain. An ECG showed ST depression in leads V2-V4, which is a classic sign of ischemia or infarction. A blood draw found troponin levels to be positive at .21, a sign of injury to the heart. Troponin is a type of protein found in the muscles of the heart. Troponin is not normally found in the blood. When heart muscles become damaged troponin is sent into the bloodstream. Defendant’s staff failed to timely act on these abnormal results. As a consequence, the patient suffered cardiac arrest while in the waiting room and died. The family (wife and two adult sons) sought to recover $16,469 in funeral expenses plus $455,571 in lost earnings as a high school teacher. $6,750,000.00 was paid by the self-insured hospital. The case remains pending against a physician and a medical practice group. David J. Gallagher represented the family.