$7.9 Million Record-Setting Verdict for Child Blinded by Doctor's Negligence
A Cook County jury awarded $7.9 million to an 8-year-old boy who was blinded due to the negligence of his pediatrician, William H. Barrows, M.D. The verdict was the highest in a medical negligence case in Cook County resulting in blindness to a child. Tommy Carroll was represented by Corboy & Demetrio during the three-week trial. Until he was about a year old, Tommy was seen by his pediatrician who examined the retinas of both eyes on seven separate occasions. On each occasion, the doctor recorded that he did not find any abnormality. Tommy was then seen by the defendant pediatrician's partner, who immediately noted an abnormality in the retina of both eyes. Tommy was subsequently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as retinoblastoma. Due to the advanced stage of the cancer, the child lost both eyes and is blind.