The University of Chicago Medical Center is facing a wrongful death lawsuit from an administrator of a deceased patient’s estate.
Desiree Syler filed their complaint on November 1 in Cook County Circuit Court against the university, alleging that the hospital failed to provide adequate medical care to Roger R. Salinas, the deceased patient.
The lawsuit cites skin breakdowns and other related medical situations that resulted in Salinas’s death, alleging that the hospital could have easily prevented or treated these issues, prolonging the patient’s life.
This isn’t the first time the university has faced a medical lawsuit this year, either.
In June, the university medical center was fined $53 million for a 2013 lawsuit. It included almost 20 missteps by the hospital that resulted in a child being born with severe brain damage.
Lisa Ewing arrived at the emergency room, as any of the 110 million annual visitors. She was 40 weeks pregnant and worried because she was feeling less movement from the baby. Ewing’s son is now 12 and suffers from severe cerebral palsy, which confines him to a wheelchair.
Although the lawsuit was filed years after Isaiah was born, their victory went down as the biggest birth injury verdict ever made in Cook County.
However, the length of time between the event of malpractice and the lawsuit isn’t uncommon.
The statute of limitations puts forth the time frame in which patients can claim medical malpractice, but it’s not always the standard.
The discovery rule actually allows patients to file for medical malpractice after the statute of limitations period has expired.
This rule has helped countless patients seek out medical justice. In Syler’s case, however, there’s no need for the discovery rule to apply.
Syler is seeking a fine of $50,000 from the university in addition to other costs.