Man Settles for $500,000 in Chemical Burn Medical Negligence Case
A $500,000 settlement has been reached in a case involving a plaintiff, who while washing a machine at his workplace, was splashed in his right eye with an alkaline that contained the highest possible PH. Corboy & Demetrio negotiated the settlement paid by MacNeal Memorial Hospital. The case settled just prior to jury selection before Judge Deborah M. Dooling of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
The plaintiff, a sanitation stain cleaner, went to MacNeal Memorial Hospital’s emergency room on July 23, 1998, a half hour after being splashed with the chemical. The emergency room physicians irrigated his eye and sent him home with antibiotic creams. The plaintiff was told to visit Bryan Igoe, M.D., for follow-up examinations. Igoe saw the plaintiff daily for the next three weeks, before the plaintiff reported that his vision was worsening. At that point, the plaintiff was referred to David Springer, M.D., who discovered that the plaintiff needed a corneal transplant.
The plaintiff reports a non-correctable loss of vision in his right eye as a result of the incident and lack of appropriate treatment. He was unable to work for more than six months following the incident and continues to visit his eye doctor every other week.