Indianapolis Personal Injury Blog

Illinois Man Wins $2.1 Million Medical Malpractice Case

Nine years ago, Daniel R. Nelson was in a serious motorcycle accident along with his wife. Although they both suffered serious injuries from the bike crash, Nelson spent 13 months in the hospital in the wake of the wreck.

Now, a jury has awarded the man $2.1 million for medical malpractice -- $994,716 in medical and health care expenses, $1 million for past and future pain, suffering and disability, $50,000 to Nelson's wife, Jeanne, for loss of consortium and $65,000 to Nelson's son, Miles, for lack of society and companionship.

During Nelson's rehabilitation, his jaw was wired shut and he had a tracheotomy tube. One morning, when it became clear that Nelson was not breathing, the doctor attending Nelson, Lorraine C. Novich-Welter, waited too long to call a code four and clear the obstruction from Nelson's tracheotomy tube. Personal injury lawyers argued that Novich-Welter was negligent in her care of the patient.

While Nelson was walking short distances after the accident but before the tracheotomy medical malpractice incident, Nelson is now confined to a wheelchair.