A serious medical mistake can leave a patient dealing with an injury that never should have happened. Schafer & Schafer represents patients and families in Illinois medical malpractice cases involving doctors, hospitals, nurses, specialists and other healthcare providers. Our attorneys are licensed in both Illinois and Indiana and have recovered significant results in complex medical negligence and birth injury cases.
Our office is located in Northwest Indiana, just outside the Chicago area. We regularly work with people from Northwest Indiana who receive medical care in Chicago and throughout Illinois, as well as Illinois residents who need an experienced medical malpractice attorney. If the medical negligence happened in Illinois, our attorneys can review what happened and determine whether there may be grounds for a claim.
Illinois Medical Malpractice Cases We Handle
Not every poor medical outcome is malpractice. A claim may arise when a doctor, hospital or other healthcare provider fails to meet the applicable standard of care and that failure causes a patient to suffer an injury or death.
Medical negligence can happen at nearly any point in a patient's care. Our Illinois medical malpractice lawyers handle cases involving:
- Failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis
- Surgical errors and preventable complications
- Birth injuries and labor and delivery negligence
- Failure to monitor fetal distress
- Medication and dosage errors
- Emergency room errors
- Hospital negligence
- Anesthesia errors
- Failure to properly monitor a patient
- Preventable infections and sepsis
- Brain damage caused by medical errors
- Medical malpractice resulting in wrongful death
Some medical errors are apparent quickly. Others become clear only after a patient's condition worsens, another doctor identifies a problem, or the family begins questioning why an unexpected injury occurred.
Illinois Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice Results
Schafer & Schafer has handled Illinois medical malpractice cases involving catastrophic injuries, brain damage, cerebral palsy and wrongful death. Our results include substantial recoveries for children and families harmed by medical negligence.
$12,000,000 Illinois Medical Malpractice Birth Injury Case
A birth injury case involving brain damage and cerebral palsy after a doctor and hospital failed to monitor fetal distress and stop the administration of Pitocin, resulting in a lack of oxygen to the baby's brain.
$9,600,000 Illinois Medical Malpractice Birth Injury Case
A recovery in an Illinois birth injury case involving brain damage and cerebral palsy.
$5,000,000 Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Case
A recovery involving the wrongful death of a mother due to medical malpractice.
$1,575,000 NICU Medication Error Case
A recovery involving an improper medication dosage given to a baby in the NICU, resulting in a birth injury.
Medical Malpractice at Chicago and Illinois Hospitals
Northwest Indiana residents frequently travel into Chicago and other parts of Illinois for surgeries, specialist appointments, high-risk pregnancies and other medical treatment. When malpractice happens during that treatment, the location of the medical care can affect which state's laws apply and where a lawsuit may be filed.
Schafer & Schafer is licensed to practice in both Indiana and Illinois. That allows our attorneys to represent Northwest Indiana families whose injuries occurred while receiving medical treatment in Illinois, without treating the state line as a barrier to taking their case.
Can You Sue a Doctor or Hospital for Medical Negligence in Illinois?
A bad result by itself does not establish medical malpractice. A case generally requires evidence that a healthcare provider failed to meet the appropriate standard of care and that the failure caused an injury, worsened an existing condition or resulted in death.
Illinois also has specific requirements for filing medical malpractice lawsuits. In many cases, a qualified health professional must review the relevant facts and medical records and provide a written report supporting that there is a reasonable and meritorious basis for bringing the claim.
Determining what went wrong often requires a detailed review of medical records, test results, imaging, medication records and the timeline of care. In cases involving several doctors or hospital departments, the investigation may also need to determine which providers were responsible for particular decisions.
How Long Do You Have to File an Illinois Medical Malpractice Claim?
Illinois generally requires a medical malpractice lawsuit to be filed within two years from when the patient knew, or reasonably should have known, of the injury. The law also generally prevents a claim from being filed more than four years after the medical act or omission that caused the injury.
There are exceptions, including different deadlines that can apply to children and certain other circumstances. Because the deadline can depend on when the injury occurred and when it reasonably could have been discovered, it is worth having the dates reviewed rather than assuming there is or is not time to bring a claim.
What Compensation Can Be Recovered in an Illinois Medical Malpractice Case?
The damages available depend on the injury and how it has affected the patient and family. A serious medical error can lead to additional treatment, lost income, permanent disability or the need for medical and personal care for years to come.
Depending on the case, a medical malpractice claim may seek compensation for medical expenses, future medical and care needs, lost wages and earning capacity, pain and suffering, disability and other losses. When medical negligence results in death, surviving family members may also have grounds to pursue an Illinois wrongful death claim.
Talk With an Illinois Medical Malpractice Lawyer
If you believe a doctor, hospital or other medical provider caused a serious injury in Chicago or elsewhere in Illinois, Schafer & Schafer can review what happened. We represent clients throughout Illinois and Northwest Indiana, including Indiana residents injured while receiving medical treatment across the state line.
Call or contact Schafer & Schafer online for a free consultation. Tell us what happened, where you received treatment and when the injury occurred, and our attorneys can evaluate whether you may have an Illinois medical malpractice case.
