The appropriate medical treatment for any illness, injury, or condition begins with a prompt, accurate diagnosis. When a doctor fails to correctly diagnose a medical condition and causes a delay in the diagnosis, the condition may require more aggressive treatment with adverse side effects, result in a worsened medical outcome, or cause wrongful death.

A Chicago misdiagnosis attorney understands the risks associated with delayed diagnosis and helps injury victims recover the compensation they deserve.

What Causes Delayed Diagnosis?

Doctors and other medical providers must carefully adhere to the care standards set by the medical community, including when examining a patient…
Continue Reading What Are the Dangers of a Delayed Diagnosis?

As the body’s control center and the base of human thought and personality, the brain is our most critical organ. A brain injury is always a frightening diagnosis. Even a mild concussion can have lingering impacts and potential cumulative effects, but a more severe injury can leave the injury victim facing an uncertain future. When the injury results from a medical provider’s negligence, it’s even more traumatic and distressing.

Because we place our lives and our trust into a doctor’s hands, medical negligence is a uniquely distressing type of personal injury, constituting medical malpractice. A brain injury is one of…
Continue Reading How Do Brain Injuries Occur as a Result of Medical Negligence?

Few medical diagnoses are as devastating as a spinal cord injury, but when this permanent, disabling injury directly results from medical malpractice, it compounds the trauma and adds elements of anger and frustration, knowing the injury was preventable if only the medical provider had met the required standard of care.

Unfortunately, no legal process can erase a spinal cord injury, but a Chicago medical malpractice attorney can help a spinal cord injury victim recover the financial compensation and sense of justice they deserve when the injury is the direct result of a medical provider’s negligence.

What Types of Medical Malpractice…
Continue Reading How Can Medical Malpractice Cause a Spinal Cord Injury?

Paralysis is one of the most devastating diagnoses a person can receive, with adverse consequences on all aspects of the injury victim’s life, including their mobility, independence, earning capability, and personal life. When the paralysis occurred as the result of medical malpractice under the hands of a doctor you trusted with your care, it compounds the trauma.

A Chicago personal injury lawyer can help you recover the compensation you deserve through a well-executed legal strategy based on the unique circumstances of your case.

What Types of Chicago Medical Malpractice Cause Paralysis?

Since most patients do not have medical degrees, they…
Continue Reading Common Causes of Paralysis as a Result of Medical Malpractice

A Cook County jury has delivered a $51 million verdict in a medical malpractice case involving a failure to diagnose a metabolic crisis. The case, which centered on a 2022 emergency room visit, highlights the devastating consequences that can occur when basic medical screenings are overlooked.

A Missed Opportunity for Life-Saving Care

In 2022, John Reinke sought treatment at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center for a severe, unprecedented headache. Despite presenting with clear risk factors—including a history of gout and obesity—attorneys for the estate argued that hospital staff failed to perform a simple blood sugar test.

Instead of…
Continue Reading Cook County Jury Awards $51M After Failure to Diagnose Led to Catastrophic Brain Injury

In a recent appearance on the Be That Lawyer podcast with Steve Fretzin, Smith LaCien LLP co-founder Brian LaCien shared insights on the trial profession and the philosophy behind his firm’s approach to catastrophic injury cases.

The Jury as the “Great Equalizer”

Brian emphasized that the civil jury system remains one of the few places where an individual can stand on equal footing with a corporation. Regardless of politics, he noted that the jury system allows 12 regular people to decide a problem, acting as a vital check on power and a “great equalizer” in society.

The Importance of…
Continue Reading Brian LaCien, Founding Partner of Smith LaCien LLP joins Steve Fretzen on BE THAT LAWYER Podcast for tips on how career growth happens.

A Cook County jury awarded a $51 million verdict to the estate of John Reinke, finding OSF Healthcare System and Dr. Fredrick Burke liable for failing to properly diagnose and treat a metabolic condition that led to a catastrophic cardiac arrest and anoxic brain injury after his 2022 emergency room discharge.

Attorneys at Smith LaCien LLC argued that basic testing, including blood glucose screening, would have identified severe undiagnosed diabetes and prevented the outcome.

The $51,015,445 verdict, reached after a two-and-a-half-week trial and four hours of deliberation, underscores the jury’s finding that deviations from the standard of care directly caused…
Continue Reading Jury Returns $51M Verdict After Failure to Test Blood Glucose Leads to Catastrophic Brain Injury

Many aspects of medical care require access to safe, well-screened blood products, uncontaminated blood cultures, and proper sterilization of the medical tools that penetrate the patient’s bloodstream or circulatory system.

Suffering serious illness from a preventable bacterial or viral infection caused by blood contamination in a medical facility or receiving inaccurate test results due to a contaminated blood culture, is actionable medical malpractice. A Chicago medical malpractice lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and options for financial recovery.

What Is Blood Contamination?

According to medical experts, it’s difficult to determine the prevalence of blood contamination in medical…
Continue Reading Can I Hold the Hospital Accountable for Blood Contamination?

No one enjoys being in the hospital, and patients look forward to their discharge so they can return home. However, a crucial aspect of a doctor’s and a medical facility’s duty of care is to ensure that a patient is discharged from care safely, at the right time, with the key information and the necessary ability to care for themselves during their recovery. When a medical provider violates this duty of care, the result can be serious harm to the patient. An experienced Chicago medical malpractice lawyer can evaluate your case.

What Is Negligence During the Patient Discharge Process?

Discharge…
Continue Reading The Dangers Associated With Hospital Discharge Errors

Parents spend months planning their child’s joyous entry into the world, but when something goes wrong, joy can quickly turn to anxiety for the child’s future. Cerebral palsy is one of the most serious outcomes of preventable birth injuries. Unfortunately, no legal process erases the permanent injury to your child, but if your child’s cerebral palsy resulted from a medical provider’s negligence, you have the right to demand financial accountability and a sense of justice through a birth injury medical malpractice claim.

How Does Cerebral Palsy Occur From Medical Negligence?

Cerebral Palsy is the diagnosis given to individuals who suffer…
Continue Reading How Do You Prove Medical Negligence Caused Cerebral Palsy?

A man whose spinal cord was severely injured in a four-vehicle collision accepted an $11 million settlement out of Cook County Circuit Court.

Alton Vaughns, then 54, was stopped in traffic while heading north on Interstate 55 in Chicago on Oct. 24, 2024.

The accident occurred when a car, driven by Rigoberto Heredia, struck Jasmine McIlvenny’s vehicle from behind. As a result, McIlvenny rear ended Vaughns, who in turn struck a car being driven by Ashley Rivera.

Vaughns was taken by ambulance to John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County where he was treated for a spinal cord injury, his attorneys…
Continue Reading Man accepts $11M for spinal injury in four-car collision on I-55

Safe, effective medications are a key aspect of healthcare, saving lives, extending lifespans, and improving the quality of life for millions of people daily. But medications are also powerful products with the potential for great harm when they are defective or include a dangerous ingredient.

It’s frightening to learn that a medication that’s been prescribed to you has been recalled, but can you file a medical malpractice lawsuit after a recall is issued on a medication you’ve taken?

A Chicago medical malpractice lawyer can evaluate the merits of your unique case.

When are Drugs Recalled?

A medication may be recalled…
Continue Reading Am I Eligible to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit After a Drug Recall?

Brian LaCien of Smith LaCien LLP Trial Lawyers was recently featured on Fox 32 Chicago’s ChicagoLIVE to discuss Ford’s massive recall of over 4.3 million vehicles due to a software defect affecting trailer brake functions, tail lights, and turn signals, a serious safety hazard for drivers and everyone else on the road.

The recall affects popular Ford and Lincoln models from 2021 through 2026, including the F-150, F-250 Super Duty, Ranger, Expedition, Maverick, Navigator, and E-Transit. Ford has reported over 400 incidents tied to the defect and plans to issue a software fix beginning in May 2026.

While Ford is…
Continue Reading Attorney Brian LaCien Speaks to Fox 32 Chicago About Ford’s Massive Software Recall — What Owners Need to Know