A Chicago man, two decades after suffering severe brain damage during his birth at the University of Illinois Hospital, has been awarded $55.5 million by a Cook County jury.
At 20 years old, he remains unable to speak, read, or comprehend rules and safety. He has the cognitive capacity of a 2-year-old and requires round-the-clock care due to the negligence of doctors at UIC and the hospital. The lawsuit lists three physicians as defendants, with the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System also named. Following a three-week trial, the jury issued its verdict in a Daley Center courtroom before the judge.
According to reports, on April 12, 2003, the man's mother was admitted to UIC Hospital, and the attending physician did not see her until six to seven hours later. A fellow-in-training and a resident-in-training were tasked with her care, neither of whom was board-certified. The woman was administered Pitocin, a drug that induces contractions but led to oxygen deprivation for the baby before birth, as stated in the 2017 complaint. The baby suffered fetal tachycardia, indicating an elevated heart rate in utero.
Early the next morning, the baby was delivered via an emergency C-section and placed in the newborn intensive care unit, where he was intubated five hours after birth and spent eight days on life support. The mother had gestational diabetes and asthma, making her a high-risk patient during pregnancy.
The plaintiff's attorney argued that the doctors should have immediately discontinued the Pitocin and treated the mother with antibiotics. However, the hospital was also at fault for not providing the necessary resources for the mother and her baby.
The $55.5 million, allocated to cover the man's medical expenses and overall well-being, compensates him for the loss of a normal life experience, disfigurement resulting from the injury, emotional distress, loss of earning capacity, and more, in accordance with the verdict.
