Elected officials in Cook County, Illinois are deciding whether to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against the county by a man whose leg had to be amputated after he was treated at Cook County’s Stroger Hospital five years ago. The lawsuit is proposed to be settled for $1.75 million.
The lawsuit, which was originally filed in 2010, alleges that the hospital did not meet the standard of care that was due to the patient.
Court records show that Jessie Peoples went to the emergency room at Stroger Hospital in early 2007 complaining of numbness and an ulcer on his leg. The county hospital referred him to its vascular clinic due to reduced blood flow in his leg and foot. Later that year, Peoples was admitted to what was then called St. Francis Hospital and Health Center, where medical personnel determined that an infection in the leg had advanced to the point where an amputation above the knee was necessary.
The Finance Committee of the County Board will vote on whether or not to settle the case, before the full board gives final approval. Because the settlement will be before trial, the county health system will not admit wrongdoing in the case.
Paul Greenberg is a Chicago medical malpractice lawyer and Chicago medical malpractice attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit https://briskmanandbriskman.com/.