Medical Malpractice

Top Illinois Medical Malpractice Attorneys

We trust physicians and other medical professionals in hospitals, clinics and offices all over the country to provide safe and appropriate medical care to our family members and others in our community. Unfortunately, when doctors and hospitals ignore safety rules or sacrifice patient safety at the expense of increased profit, tragedy often strikes.

According to the Institute of Medicine, approximately 100,000 people die every year from medical malpractice. This number does not even count the hundreds of thousands of people who are catastrophically and permanently injured each year by preventable medical errors.

To investigate suspected medical malpractice resulting in serious injury or death, you must contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible. Passen Powell Jenkins has successfully represented patients and families in medical malpractice cases involving permanent injury and wrongful death for over 30 years in the Chicago area, as well as nationwide. We are trusted trial lawyers who will aggressively protect your interests.

Common Forms of Medical Malpractice

A medical malpractice case is defined by an act of negligence or a deviation from the accepted standard of care of a reasonably careful healthcare professional, which causes a patient to suffer injury or death.

Medication errors are one of the most common medical errors, causing injury or death to at least 1.5 million patients every year. These errors occur, not just in hospitals, but also in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, home healthcare settings, pharmacies and clinics.

Other common examples of medical malpractice include:

• Anesthesia errors;
• Birth injury, including Cerebral Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, and Brain Damage;
• Delayed diagnosis or failed diagnosis of a medical condition (including cancer);
• Misdiagnosis (for example, heart attack misdiagnosed as indigestion);
• Improper or inadequate treatment of an illness or disease;
• Surgical error

Pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit is a daunting endeavor emotionally and financially. There are also complex medical and legal issues that need to be researched and evaluated to investigate and prove your case. It is critical that you work with an experienced malpractice lawyer, who will retain the appropriate medical experts and other consultants.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

In Illinois, a medical malpractice lawsuit may not even be filed without a sworn written report (i.e. affidavit) from a medical professional in the appropriate field of specialty giving the opinion that medical malpractice occurred and caused injury to the plaintiff. Your Chicago medical malpractice attorney will consult with only the most qualified medical experts in the nation to support your medical negligence case.

Victims of medical negligence are entitled to monetary damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, loss of normal life, and other types of compensation. Recently, the Illinois Supreme Court held that an arbitrary $500,000 cap on non-economic damages for medical malpractice cases is unconstitutional, as it infringes on the right of victims of medical malpractice to receive full compensation for their injuries as determined by a jury of their peers.

Contact a Top Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer

At Passen Powell Jenkins, we are tenacious advocates for our clients and their families. We offer compassionate guidance and professional consultation. We are also proven trial lawyers, meaning that we prepare each case as if it will eventually go to trial. This practice often results in favorable settlements for our clients outside of court and makes sure we are extremely well prepared if we go to trial.

If you have a question or concern regarding a medical malpractice case, please call us at (312) 527-4500 for a free legal consultation or fill out a Free Case Evaluation.