RECENT CASE RESULTS

The attorneys at Hilbrich Law Firm have successfully represented thousands of clients and have achieved substantial verdicts and settlements for them. We are proud to provide you with summaries of some of our results. If you have been injured, contact Hilbrich Law Firm today and we will fight on your behalf to obtain fair compensation for you.

Important Disclaimer: Past results cannot and do not guarantee future performance. A particular result in a particular case does not constitute a promise, prediction, or guarantee regarding a particular result in any other case. Each case involves many different factors, so results will differ on a case-to-case basis.

REPRESENTATIVE CASE RESULTS

$6,200,000 Jury Verdict. Fall at Hospital (Fractured Hip and Bed Sores): This medical malpractice case involved a 78-year old woman who fell off an X-ray table, broke her hip, and developed bedsores. Her life expectancy was reduced by 22 months. The defendant hospital sent the patient home with bedsores and she never fully recovered.
$3,000,000 Settlement. Truck Accident (Wrongful Death): This case involved an intersection accident where a truck entered the intersection and hit a passenger vehicle on a service road. The driver of the passenger vehicle was killed. The truck company denied liability.
$2,160,000 Jury Verdict. Negligent Delivery of Baby (Erb’s Palsy): In this medical malpractice case, a baby sustained a brachial plexis injury known as Erb’s Palsy at birth when the OB/GYN failed to timely perform a cesarean section. The mother’s second stage of labor lasted four hours and the physician mismanaged a condition known as shoulder dystocia, which causes the baby’s shoulder to become stuck on the mother’s pubic bone. The baby was found to have a 5-10% permanent impairment with her arm. The jury awarded damages to the child and to the parents for the negligent delivery and the Court ordered an additional $60,000 for prejudgment interest.
$5,200,000 Verdict. Failure To Diagnose (Breast Cancer): This medical malpractice case involved a one year delay in the detection of breast cancer and caused a decreased chance of a final cure of the breast cancer. The patient is in remission. The jury concluded that the increased risk of cancer is a valuable damage.
$3,000,000 Verdict. Surgical Errors (Wrongful Death): This medical malpractice case involved a death of an 80-year old woman who went to the hospital for a routine surgical insertion of a venacava filter. Within 15 hours after the operation, she was found dead. We filed suit against the doctor who gave inappropriate attention to phone calls from the hospital and the hospital staff who failed to appropriately monitor the patient.
$1,075,000 Settlement. Detached Retina (Blindness in One Eye): This client suffered blindness in one eye from a detached retina that was not timely diagnosed by an Optometrist. By the time she was referred to an Ophthalmologist, her vision could not be saved in one eye. The Optometrist paid the maximum amount under the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act and the Patient’s Compensation Fund paid the excess.
$750,000 Jury Verdict. Car Crash with Police Car (Shoulder Injury): In this case, a police car entered an intersection without lights or siren, and crashed into the plaintiff’s van causing a shoulder injury. Her medical bills were $4,000.
$1,250,000 Settlement. Negligent Delivery of Baby (Cerebral Palsy): This medical malpractice case involved a catastrophic birth where a doctor and the hospital staff delayed an emergency cesarean section resulting in a fetus being starved for oxygen and essentially born dead. Apgars were zero at one minute, zero at five minutes, and zero at ten minutes. Miraculously, the baby survived but will have cerebral palsy for her entire life. Our investigation of the event revealed that the doctor was called by the hospital staff but continued to fall back asleep, and no other doctor was called. The case settled for the maximum statutory amount.
$3,000,000 Settlement. Surgical Errors (Brain Injury): This medical malpractice case involved mistakes made during brain surgery at a major university hospital. The defendant performed experimental surgery on a 78-year-old patient.
$750,000 Settlement. Fall at Hospital (Fractured Ankle): A mentally disabled man who was a fall risk at a hospital was left unmonitored and fell getting out of bed. The patient suffered a fractured ankle and developed significant complications that the defense blamed on him.
$500,000 Jury Verdict. Surgical Errors (Bile Duct Clipped): This medical malpractice case involved a surgeon who clipped a woman’s common bile duct when he removed her gallbladder. This required an additional surgery to correct the mistake. Although the physician denied he was negligent, the jury found he was and awarded the woman damages.
$2,700,000 Jury Verdict. Failure to Diagnose Cancer (Medical Malpractice): A lawsuit was brought by a Stage 3 cancer patient whose X-rays were lost causing a one year delay in treatment. His chances of survival decreased 10%.

$850,000 Settlement. Illinois Car Crash (Wrongful Death): This case involved a 20-year old girl whose vehicle was forced off of an Illinois highway by another vehicle who fled the scene. The girl’s car spun two and one-half times and wrapped around a tree. The girl died instantly. The client left a mother, father, and sister, all of whom had claims under Illinois law.
$1,200,000 Settlement. Angiogram Incident (Heart Damage): An elderly woman underwent an angiogram after experiencing chest pain. The cardiologist attempted to clear some blockage and punctured a blood vessel that took a significant amount of time to repair it. The woman suffered heart damage, but she survived.
$1,200,000 Settlement. Negligent Delivery of Baby (Stillbirth): Here, a pregnant woman came to a hospital in labor and was delayed treatment. The baby was a stillborn. The hospital settled for their maximum exposure under the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act. The Patient’s Compensation Fund also paid their maximum amount under the cap, less $50,000 for a prompt, no-contest settlement.
$650,000 Settlement. Surgical Fire (Facial Burns): A middle-aged man received minor facial burns during a surgical procedure. The theory was that oxygen mixed in the anesthesia combined with the electrical cautery and surgical prep solution caused the fire.
$1,225,000 Settlement. Failure to Diagnose DVT (Partial Leg Amputation): This was a medical malpractice case involving a general practitioner who failed to diagnose deep vein thrombosis. The middle-aged woman suffered a decreased chance of saving her leg. The physician agreed to settle for his maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act and the Patient’s Compensation Fund paid the maximum, less $25,000 for a prompt, no-contest settlement.
$675,000 Settlement. Failure to Treat Elderly Patient (Wrongful Death): An elderly woman in her late 80s presented to an Emergency Department with an intestinal torsion. A snow storm prevented the woman from being seen by a surgeon or transferred. The patient died in the hospital and her adult daughter made the claim. The hospital agreed to settle for its maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act and the Patient’s Compensation Fund contributed an additional $425,000, as the daughter wished to avoid going to trial.
$500,000 Verdict. Fall at Hospital (Fractured Hip): This medical malpractice action was brought by the daughters of a 98-year-old man who fell at a hospital and sustained a fractured hip. The hospital was negligent in failing to properly monitor him to prevent him from falling. The hip fracture and resultant surgery caused him to be disabled for the remainder of his life of 15 months.
$1,150,000 Settlement. Negligent Delivery of Baby (Stillbirth): This case involved the failure to perform a timely C-section for a fetus showing clear signs of distress. The mother had suffered from a placental abruption, so an emergency C-section was required. Due to unreasonable delays in starting the C-section, the baby died in utero.
$1,200,000 Settlement. Failure to Diagnose (Breast Cancer): This claim involved the failure to diagnose breast cancer. A radiologist misread a mammogram and failed to detect an abnormal mass, which later was found to be cancer. The patient’s diagnosis was delayed by one year and she ultimately died from the cancer. The radiologist paid the maximum amount under the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act, with the Patient’s Compensation Fund also paying their maximum exposure, less $50,000 for a prompt, no-contest settlement.
$750,000 Settlement. Negligent Delivery of Baby (Medical Malpractice): This claim was brought for the late delivery of a baby. This case settled for the maximum amount available under the Medical Malpractice Act (at that time).
$732,500 Settlement. Failure to Diagnose (Prostate Cancer): A general practitioner failed to recommend a PSA test to an elderly man, resulting in failure to diagnose prostate cancer. The man suffered a decreased chance of survival. The physician agreed to settle for his maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act (at that time) and the Patient’s Compensation Fund paid the maximum, less $17,500 for a prompt, no-contest settlement.
$723,500 Settlement. Negligent Delivery of Baby (Erb’s Palsy): An OB/GYN failed to recognize risk factors for shoulder dystocia and the baby suffered a brachial plexis injury/Erb’s Palsy. The physician agreed to settle for the maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act (at that time) and the Patient’s Compensation Fund paid the maximum, less $26,500 for a prompt, no-contest settlement.
$650,000 Jury Verdict. Negligent Wound Care (Medical Malpractice): This was a claim of negligent wound care. The patient died of other causes.
$1,540,000 Jury Verdict. Incontinence Surgery Errors (Vaginal Injury): This medical malpractice case involved a woman who underwent a routine surgery to correct a problem of incontinence. The surgery left her with a vaginal depth of less than two inches. The doctor denied any wrongdoing. We showed that there were several alternative surgical procedures that could have been done and that the surgical procedure that was done was not done correctly.
$1,450,000 Jury Verdict. Gall Bladder Surgical Errors (Wrongful Death): This case involved a surgical error in performing a gall bladder removal. The surgeon negligently clipped the patient’s common bile duct and did not timely transfer her for repair. The elderly patient died thirteen days after the procedure. The elderly woman only had a two-year life expectancy even if the procedure was done properly. She was widowed and her adult daughter brought the cause of action. In addition to the verdict, the Judge awarded $150,000 for prejudgment interest.
$4,000,000 Settlement. Construction site accident (Traumatic Brain Injury): A construction worker in his 30’s was struck by a piece of material in the head. He suffered a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury that limited his ability to multi-task. The case went to pre-trial mediation and settled.
$4,000,000 Settlement.Construction site accident (TraumaticBrain Injury): A construction worker in his30’s was struck by a piece of material in the head. He suffered a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury that limited his ability to multi-task. The case went to pre-trial mediation and settled.
$987,000 Settlement. Failure to Diagnose Compartment Syndrome (Partial Leg Amputation): A man in his 40’s slipped and fell on ice at his home and dislocated his knee (for the second time). He was taken to an emergency department where the physician treating him, we claimed, failed to timely diagnose a condition known as compartment syndrome which requires prompt surgery to relieve pressure in his leg. Once it was recognized a few hours later, the patient was transferred to a Chicago hospital but we claimed it was too late and a few weeks later the man’s leg was amputated below his knee. The hospital agreed to settle for its maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act and the Patient’s Compensation Fund paid the remainder.
$800,000 Settlement. Parking LotAccident (Neck and back injuries): A man in his 50’s with pre-existing neck and back problems formerly on disability suffered an aggravation of those injuries when his vehicle was struck by another vehicle that was pulling out from a parking space next to the man’s vehicle in a parking lot. Property damage to the man’s vehicle was minimal. The other driver’s insurance carrier blamed the man’s injuries on his prior problems but eventually settled the case at mediation.
$724,500 Settlement. Failure to adequately Treat Pressure Ulcers in Elderly Alzheimer’s Patient: An elderly paraplegic man with multiple co-morbidities and approximately 6 months to live, we contended, was neglected in a nursing home with pressure ulcers. He developed sepsis and pneumonia, ultimately passing away a few months later. The nursing home agreed to settle for its maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act and the patient’s Compensation Fund paid the remainder.
$737,000 Settlement. Failure to timely Diagnose and Treat Bacterial Infection: A retired man in his 60’s was hospitalized for chronic conditions and developed a rare flesh-eating bacteria to which he succumbed about one week later. We argued that the hospital physicians should have diagnosed the condition earlier and treated him sooner. The hospital and physicians claimed the condition was timely diagnosed and earlier treatment would not have prevented his death. The hospital agreed to settle for its maximum liability under the Medical Malpractice Act and the Patient’s Compensation Fund paid the remainder.

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RECENT CASE RESULTS

REPRESENTATIVE CASE RESULTS

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