$11.5 Million Dollar Record Verdict for Negligence at Edward Hospital
Press Release, 10/26/2010Clifford Law Offices obtained an $11.5 million dollar verdict today (Tuesday Oct. 26, 2010), on behalf of a young Bolingbrook woman who suffered the loss of her small intestine due to the negligence of Edward Hospital. The jury found that Sabine Miller, then 30, who was 14 weeks pregnant at the time, also lost her baby due to the Hospital’s negligence.
Taken by ambulance to Edward Hospital in Naperville in November, 2004, she was admitted to a post-partum unit where medical personnel failed to properly monitor her deteriorating condition as well as that of her unborn baby. Nurses also failed to contact a doctor, and Sabine lost consciousness due to septic shock and her small intestine had died necessitating its removal.
Months later, Northwestern Hospital successfully performed a small intestine transplant from a deceased organ donor, but as a result Sabine still faces severe medical challenges the rest of her life. Nevertheless, she has managed to become an advocate supporting transplant recipients as well as advocating organ donation. She even participated in the 20th US Transplant Games where she ran a 5K race and swam in four different events. The Games were held in July in Madison, Wisconsin. She also serves on the Board of the Organ Transplant Support (OTS), a local transplant support group. In 2009, Sabine spoke in Washington, D.C., at the national conference of the American Federation for Medical Research about her amazing story.
Robert Strelecky and Mary Sweeney of Clifford Law Offices obtained the verdict in the three week trial at the DuPage County courthouse in Wheaton. Today’s verdict represents the second largest award in DuPage County for an adult woman who was injured in a medical malpractice case. The largest verdict of $12 million was obtained by Keith Hebeisen of Clifford Law Offices in October, 2007.
After deliberating about five hours, the jury returned a verdict for $10.5 million for injuries to Sabine and $1 million for the death of her unborn baby.
