News and Press

OSHA fines four Illinois companies after construction worker’s death

June 16, 2016

An employee sustained fatal blunt force injuries while working at a wastewater treatment plant in Springfield, Illinois, in October 2015. The 42-year-old man was testing joints for leaks inside a 54-inch pipe when an inflatable bladder…

The occurrence of pharmacy errors after hospital discharge

June 7, 2016

As reported in the Chicago Tribune, two weeks after a patient named Joyce Oyler was discharged from the hospital, she had sores in her mouth and throat, and blood was flowing from her nose and bowels.…

Medication mistakes in nursing homes can cause patients to be hospitalized

June 2, 2016

According to knowledge acquired by NBC 5 Investigates through a search of public records, medication errors committed in Illinois nursing homes are causing patients to be hospitalized for such conditions as critically low blood sugar, visual…

Women file birth injury lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories over Depakote

May 31, 2016

Some parents allege that their children suffered birth injuries because the mothers took the medication Depakote while they were pregnant. The parents filed the lawsuit on March 21, 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the…

Construction worker dies from falling beam

May 27, 2016

A construction worker lost his life when a steel beam weighing 45 tons fell at a construction site. The accident occurred during the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 5, under a Jane Addams Memorial Tollway…

6.5 million dollar settlement in lawsuit over aortic tear

May 25, 2016

The wife of a patient who was treated at Northwest Community Hospital alleged that the hospital and many of its doctors committed medical malpractice when they failed to identify the signs and symptoms of her husband’s…

250K dollar wrongful death award to family of woman walking her dog

May 23, 2016

A 22-year-old woman from Naperville, Illinois, was hit and killed by a motorist as she was walking with her dog across the street. The driver had insufficient insurance. The family of Emily Driscoll was awarded $250,000…

Illinois roofer fined for failing to protect workers from risk of falls

May 20, 2016

An Illinois roofing company received citations for one willful, one repeated and one serious safety violation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on April 13. The agency proposed to fine the South Elgin-based contractor…

1.6 Million dollars awarded in wrongful death lawsuit against group home

May 18, 2016

A jury awarded $1.6 million to the family of a woman who died of severe brain damage after falling repeatedly at her group home. The verdict is the highest in a wrongful death action in Stephenson…

Heart surgeon sued for testing medical device on patient

May 16, 2016

A woman filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against her cardiac surgeon for implanting an unauthorized experimental device in her body. Maureen Obermeier sued Dr. Patrick McCarthy and Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he is the head of…