Kreisman Law Offices Professional Corporation
John Pluard, 51, fell from an attic and landed on a concrete surface 14 feet below, fracturing his leg and left elbow. Pluard was admitted to Harborview Medical Center where he underwent leg surgery to repair his fractured leg, but not to his arm.
After the surgery, Pluard reported increased pain in his left arm for which he was given morphine. Almost seven hours later, an orthopedic surgeon examined him. The doctor increased his morphine dose and saw him again the next morning. Pluard later lost most of his neuromotor functioning in his hand. Despite emergency surgery, he does not have a functioning left hand.
Pluard had worked as a carpenter earning about $46,500 per year and has not been able to return to work. He and his wife sued the hospital, maintaining that it chose not to timely diagnose and treat compartment syndrome, which was the source and cause of his arm injury. The jury entered their verdict in favor of both Pluard and his wife for $1.58 million.
The attorneys representing the Pluard family were Nathan Roberts, Micah LeBank and Meaghan Driscoll.
At trial, the Pluard case presented experts in orthopedic surgery, physiatry and vocational rehabilitation. On the other hand, the defendant hospital offered up experts in orthopedic surgery, general surgery and orthopedic trauma surgery.
Pluard v. State of Washington, No. 13-2-25430-1 (Wash. Super. Ct. King County, Nov. 30, 2015).
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling surgical negligence cases, misdiagnosis of compartment syndrome cases, nursing negligence cases, hospital negligence cases, birth trauma injury cases and nursing home negligence cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of a medical provider for more than 40 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Maywood, Naperville, Orland Park, Vernon Hills, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, New Lenox, Long Grove, Joliet, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Worth, Alsip, Blue Island, South Chicago Heights and Arlington Heights, Ill. Robert D. Kreisman has been an active member of the Illinois and Missouri bars since 1976.
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