Rockford, IL Hospital Malpractice Lawyers

Injury Attorneys Representing Victims of Hospital Malpractice in Winnebago County, IL

Individuals who are admitted to a hospital or medical center rely on the doctors, nurses, and other staff to take care of them and protect them from harm. In recent years, however, many Illinois hospitals have failed to provide the standard of care their patients deserve. Increased patient loads, staffing shortages, industry consolidation, and other factors have resulted in a growing number of serious errors and severe injuries to patients. If you or someone close to you has suffered harm due to hospital malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation.

The medical malpractice team at Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law has over two decades of experience successfully representing victims of hospital malpractice in Rockford, Chicago, and throughout Illinois. Our attorneys have in-depth knowledge of this area of the law, and we put our experience to work to ensure that those responsible for hospital negligence are held fully accountable. We have secured numerous six- and seven-figure verdicts and settlements for clients, and we know what it takes to prevail in even the most complex cases against well-funded adversaries.

Case Result: $1 Million Wrongful Death Verdict Against Respiratory Center

Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law represented a woman who received a chest X-ray, ordered by her primary care physician, as part of a routine pre-op clearance for the cataract surgery she was about to undergo. The X-ray showed an approximate 2-cm suspicious mass. Due to a series of paperwork snafus by the respiratory center staff, the doctor did not see the results of the chest X-ray until about a year later, when the woman came back in complaining of shortness of breath. By this time, the mass had grown to over 7-cm, and the woman was diagnosed with stage 3b lung cancer. Had the doctor seen the first X-ray in a timely manner, the cancer would have been in its early stages, and surgery might have been an option. When the cancer was finally discovered, the only options left were chemotherapy and radiation. The woman died about a year after her cancer diagnosis, and a Will County jury awarded her family $1 million in damages.

How does Hospital Malpractice Occur in Illinois?

Many hospitals in Illinois are unable to keep up with the daily demands placed on them. Employees are overworked, tired, stressed out, and prone to making serious errors. Many of these errors cause the condition of patients to worsen and, in some cases, result in wrongful death. When these instances occur, the hospital may be guilty of negligence.

There are several examples of systematic errors many hospitals make. These include:

• Poor communication between doctors, nurses, and other staff
• Failure of nurses and staff to follow physician orders
• Medication errors, such as prescribing incorrect medication, administering the wrong dosage, giving medication to the wrong patient, or use of defective drugs
• ER mistakes, such as waiting too long to admit a patient with a serious health concern
• Surgical errors committed by either the doctor or support staff before, during, or after a surgical procedure
• Birth injuries to the mother or child before, during, or after childbirth
• Use of defective or dangerous medical devices
• Releasing patients before they are medically ready to go home

Hospital malpractice cases can be complex, especially when there are multiple factors that caused the patient to be harmed. To further complicate matters, some doctors are independent contractors and are not directly employed by the hospital. In such cases, if the doctor is the one at fault, it could become a primary care or doctor malpractice case. In cases in which injury occurred due to dangerous or faulty medical equipment, you may have a defective products case against the equipment producer or distributor.

Speak with an Experienced Stephenson County Hospital Malpractice Lawyer

At Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Injury Law, medical malpractice is one of our primary areas of focus. We have a strong team that works collaboratively on each case, and because we have seen virtually every issue that can arise in a hospital setting, we are able to quickly uncover important (and frequently overlooked) factors that often make the difference in the success or failure of the case.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of hospital malpractice in Illinois, contact our office today at 815-215-7561 to schedule a free, no obligation case assessment. We serve clients in Rockford, Winnebago County, Freeport, Belvidere, Winnebago, Loves Park, Byron, Rochelle, Oregon, Boone County, Stephenson County, Ogle County, and throughout Illinois.