On February 2, 2021, Jerry Vinkler of Vinkler Law Offices, Ltd. obtained a $2,000,000 confidential settlement in Cook County in a medical malpractice case against a family practice doctor and the Adventist Healthcare System. The case had been pending in Cook County Circuit Court.
Jeannie Pinner was the patient of the family practice group of Adventist. When she developed complaints of knee pain she called for an appointment with her regular physician, who had a full schedule. She was referred for consultation with another family doctor.
On December 28, 2016, she saw the family doctor. He prescribed oral corticosteroids. At the time she was taking Warfarin.
On New Year’s Eve December 31, 2016, Mrs. Pinner had significant bruising on her legs, torso, and arms. After dinner, she and her husband called the family practice of Adventist Healthcare System after hours. The doctor on call was the same family practice physician she saw on December 28th and who had prescribed the oral corticosteroid. This physician merely told Mrs. Pinner to stop taking the oral corticosteroid and if the bruising had not stopped by next week to call.
On Monday morning Mrs. Pinner had a severe stroke. She was bleeding from the mouth at home and her left side was paralyzed. At Hinsdale Hospital she was diagnosed with a brain bleed on the right side. The swelling from the brain bleed required emergency surgery to evacuate the blood. An emergency craniectomy was performed by a neurosurgeon. She was placed in ICU and was touch and go.
She endured the surgery and after a lengthy hospitalization was discharged for rehabilitation at the RML Specialty Hospital. She was then transferred to Burgess Square for subacute care. Once she finished therapy there she was moved to the Cedarhurst Nursing Home in Naperville. She ultimately needed to have continued care and moved in with her daughter in Alaska. She had to leave her family and personal doctors to be cared for by her daughter.
Family Practice Doctor Negligently Prescribed Corticosteroid While Patient on Warfarin
The family practice doctor was negligent to prescribe a corticosteroid while the patient was on Warfarin. On December 28, 2016, he was required to order immediate monitoring of her coagulation index or INR, and to continue to monitor her INR levels closely. He did not do this. On December 31, 2016, he was required to order Mrs. Pinner have her go to the emergency room immediately.
After the suit was filed and discovery completed, but before experts were identified, the parties agreed to mediate the matter. Mediation occurred with Judge Don O’Connell in November of 2019 without success. In January of 2021, a pretrial was held before Judge Mary Roberts. The Defendants ultimately agreed to pay their policy limits of $1,000,000 for the family doctor and $1,000,000 for the family practice group of Adventist Healthcare System.
This settlement allows the Pinners to move back to Illinois to be near their family and to obtain the care needed from her own physicians. Vinkler Law Offices thanks Judge Don O’Connell (Ret.) as well as Judge Mary Roberts for the hard work they put forth in settling this matter. Vinkler Law Offices represents Plaintiffs injured in all personal injury matters for catastrophic injury and wrongful death including medical malpractice, sexual abuse, product liability, drug litigation, trucking crash, construction, and nursing home matters.
