Elmhurst Family Wins $3 Million In Fatal Blood Clot Lawsuit

ELMHURST, IL — An Elmhurst family has received a $3 million verdict in a case against Elmhurst Memorial Hospital after the death of a family member in 2011. According to Clifford Law Offices, the firm that represented the family, Edward Smolinski, 52, of Elmhurst, died in 2011 from a pulmonary embolism 50 days after undergoing leg surgery at the hospital. Doctors at the hospital failed to prevent, diagnose and treat a pulmonary embolus, after Smolinski had surgery to repair a tendon in his left leg, according to a release from the firm.

The case was brought forward by Smolinski's wife Margaret, and their two children. The firm said in a release Smolinski was a patient at Elmhurst Hospital in summer 2011, after he slipped from the cab of his work truck and ruptured a tendon in his leg. Following surgery, Smolinski suffered shortness of breath, chest pain, tachycardia and leg swelling. From July 20, 2011, through July 28, 2011, doctors and physical therapists failed to recognize signs and symptoms of a pulmonary embolus and did not perform testing to rule out this life threatening disorder, the firm said in a release.

"The jury saw that this husband and father would still be here today had the physical therapist and doctors paid attention to the well-recognized and reported symptoms that clearly indicated that Ed was suffering from a life-threatening blood clot," David Cosgrove, the attorney for the family, said following the verdict. "The grief and loss suffered by this family will be felt their entire lives for something that should have been diagnosed and treated in a timely manner by medical professionals."

The two-week trial was before Judge Lorna Propes in Cook County Circuit Cour. According to a release, the jury took 4 and a half hours of deliberation to reach a verdict.

Patch reached out to Elmhurst Hospital, but the hospital had no comment about the verdict.

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