News and Press

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…

Digital medication orders in hospitals reduce drug errors, but can cause fatal mistakes

May 13, 2016

A recent report has indicated that the use of digital medication orders by hospitals has led to a significant reduction in hazardous drug mistakes, but their computer systems are unable to recognize 13 percent of possibly…

Multimillion dollar awards approved in Chicago police wrongful death cases

May 11, 2016

The Chicago City Council Finance Committee approved a total settlement of over $6 million for two wrongful death lawsuits in which Chicago police allegedly used excessive force on men in their custody. The family of 38-year-old…

Hospital computer systems fall short in preventing drug errors

May 9, 2016

Medication errors at hospitals are the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Journal of Patient Safety. In order to address the problem and enhance patient safety, many hospitals have implemented…

What Molly’s Law means for wrongful death lawsuits

May 6, 2016

The first part of Molly’s Law received unanimous support in the Illinois House committee on April 5. It has been passed to the House floor for consideration. The measure aims to extend the Illinois statute of…