HMO PAYS $16,000,000.00
Susan Loggans represented a 44 year old man who was quadriplegic with “locked in” syndrome. He was only able to communicate with the use of alphabetic board and blinking of his eyes. He was being attended to by doctors at an HMO when he had classic signs of stroke. He called the HMO who failed to follow up on his signs of the stroke which led to a massive stroke after the doctors failed to adequately examine the plaintiff and send him for necessary emergency referrals. The HMO contended the doctor was not their agent and was not responsible for him. However Susan E. Loggans and Associates were able to prove otherwise. Ms. Loggans was able to settle the case for 16 Million Dollars, which was the highest known settlement against HMO at the time of the occurrence.
$8,000,000.00 FOR BIRTH INJURIES
Ms. Loggans represented a 6 year old boy and his mother for injuries sustained by the little boy when there was a delay encountered in his delivery. His mother went to the local hospital on time but the defendant hospital failed to adequately inform the defendant physician of the plaintiff’s condition. The doctor failed to follow up in a timely basis and when she arrived at the hospital, an emergency procedure was attempted. Through the discovery and trial process, it was determined that records, originally withheld, reflected that in the operating room an anesthesia team was unavailable to perform the surgery on time. After a delay of an hour, the baby was finally delivered which resulted in brain injuries to the little boy. After several years of treatment, he is able to successfully walk. He is having multiple difficulties in school. The combined settlement between the doctor and the hospital was 8 million dollars that occurred after 10 days of trial. The child and his mother are using their proceeds for educational assistance and other treatment.
$4,000,000.00 SETTLEMENT FOR WRONGFUL DEATH OF A SINGLE MOTHER
A mother of 5 young children was killed when she was struck by a vehicle that had been struck by a Chicago Fire Department ambulance during a request for emergency call. The City of Chicago employees failed to follow procedure when approaching the intersection hitting a vehicle that then struck the decedent. The City of Chicago settled the case for 4 million dollars for the benefit of the 5 minor children. The city contended that because they were on an emergency run, they had the right to disobey traffic signals.
$3,000,000.00 SETTLEMENT FOR WRONGFUL DEATH OF A ROOFER
Ms. Loggans represented the widow and 2 young children of an employee of a roofing contractor that was killed when he fell through a roof in Will County, Illinois. The case involved the builder of a gas station as well as multiple contractors that assembled the roof and were working on the building at the time of the occurrence. The decedent fell through a fiber glass panel that was erected on the roof when he was doing measurements. Ms. Loggans was able to achieve this settlement against the multiple contractors and architect despite the plaintiff’s own employer being fined $10,000 by OSHA. There were approximately 8 parties in this case which was settled as a result of multiple months of mediation, numerous depositions and exchange of thousands of documents.
$1,950,000.00 AGAINST A LANDLORD FOR A FIRE IN BUILDING
Ms. Loggans was able to obtain a settlement for the estate of a 65-year old man and his 85 year old mother that died from smoke inhalation following a fire on the first floor of a building in which they occupied the second floor. The fire was caused by intoxicated uninsured tenants on the first floor in the middle of the night. Ms. Loggans sued the landlord because he failed to have working smoke detectors in the hallway, even though the defendant had working smoke detectors in the apartments. The firm tracked down the fire investigator and took depositions of multiple eye witnesses. It was established that there were no smoke detectors as required by the Chicago Code. Ms. Loggans was able to obtain the policy limit from the landlord who owned the property. Ms. Loggans discovered that the landlord brought in pictures allegedly showing smoke detectors that he claimed were in place prior to the fire. Ms. Loggans proved that the pictures were false and taken after the fire.
LOCAL HOSPITAL PAYS MULTIPLE SEVEN FIGURE SETTLEMENT
Susan E. Loggans and Associates successfully litigated a case where a 23 year old gun shot victim ended up having a below-the-knee amputation. The patient, as with many cases of this nature, received a confidential settlement in the multi-seven figures as a result of negligent treatment by the personnel at a local municipal hospital when he was originally shot in the buttock. The bullet ricocheted into his pelvis down into his knee. This resulted in undetected injury to the blood vessels in the leg. This in turn caused problems resulting in the below-the-knee amputation. This complex case involved experts in the field of trauma surgery, vascular surgery, infectious disease as well as vocational rehabilitation. Ms. Loggans client hopes to start a new career with funds from his settlement. He was previously a cable installer and now wants to become a physical therapist.
LOCAL HOSPITAL SETTLES CASE FOR DEATH OF STILLBORN BABY AS A RESULT OF FAULTY EMAILS
Susan E. Loggans and Associates achieved settlement for the mother and father of a stillborn baby when a prominent local hospital failed to promptly and adequately respond to emails. The hospital had a practice of communicating by email rather than by traditional personal care such as returning phone calls. After the pregnant mother emailed her concerns about lack of movement of her baby, she received a terse reply stating to handle it herself and basically back off and wait for an appointment 2 days later. The patient went into what she thought was labor and went to the hospital the next day. The client’s baby was stillborn and would be alive today if the medical personnel would have listened to the patient. This is one of the highest settlement amounts in Cook County history for a stillborn baby.
LOGGANS FIRMS OBTAINS POLICY LIMIT FROM DOCTOR AFTER OTHER FIRM REJECTS CASE
A widow with 3 children came to Ms. Loggans and her firm after a prior personal injury firm told her she had no case for the death of her 37 year old husband who had a myocardial infarction. Ms. Loggans launched a re-investigation into the case that determined that the 37 year old father who died had cholesterol readings in the 400 which is 3-4 times the normal amount. After many depositions and a nationwide search, Ms. Loggans obtained the services of the number one cholesterol expert in the county who was able to determine that the patient would have benefited from cholesterol medications which the defendant failed to prescribe the patient. Ms. Loggans was able to obtain the policy limit from the physician which is going to help support the education of the decedent’s three children.
TRUCKING COMPANY PAYS FOR NOT MARKING ITS TRUCK
Ms. Loggans and her firm had the honor of representing a 62 year old warehouse manager who at 6:30 in the morning on a sub-zero winter day struck the back of a truck. The accident resulted in multiple fractures to his ankle. The plaintiff was on his way to work with the temperature at approximately 20 below zero when it was pitch black out. As he proceeded down the highway, he suddenly came upon a truck in the dark with no lights or appropriate warning signals. He was unable to avoid striking the back of the truck. The trucking company vehemently denied any liability stating that plaintiff should have seen the back of the truck because of its reflective tape and because sunrise was beginning to occur. Through detailed and prompt investigation, Ms. Loggans was able to secure statements from witnesses who confirmed that the trucker did not have any signals placed on the roadway or that his lights were on. The trucking company paid $550,000.00. The number one truck driving expert in the country helped support the case for her client.
LOCAL PLASTICS COMPANY PAYS $600,000.00 FOR PHANTOM LADDER
Ms. Loggans and her firm were able to obtain a $600,000 settlement for a truck driver who fell from a ladder at a local plastics company. The plaintiff was making a delivery to the company at their trucking dock. He was climbing down a custom made 2×4 ladder that was placed against the trucking dock. It was missing the step near the bottom of the ladder. The plaintiff fell from the ladder that resulted in him jamming his back when he hit the ground. The plaintiff had resulting back surgery 9 months later. The defendant in the case said the ladder that was at their truck dock was not owned by them and that someone else must have placed it there. Despite denying ownership of the ladder, the plaintiff was able to prove through employees and witnesses that other individuals had used the ladder on prior occasions. Ms. Loggans retained the services of a local safety expert experienced in local OSHA rules that showed that the ladder violated appropriate safety rules.
JURY FINDS IN FAVOR OF PLAITIFF IN MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE
Ms. Loggans’ firm represented the estate of Howard Gifford, deceased, for the benefit of Mr. Gifford’s 2 sons in the amount of $950,000 for the loss of society of their father against neurosurgeon Wesley Yapor for wrongful death of Howard due to the head injury while under the care and treatment of Dr. Yapor. Mr. Gifford was a 53 year old widower and father of 2 sons who were aged 26 and 27. He was brought to the emergency room where in a CAT Scan showed an inter-cranial hemorrhage. The defendant neurosurgeon confirmed the diagnosis of head injury but treated the decedent based on his past history of alcohol use. The doctor missed the ongoing inter-cranial bleed that expanded and caused Mr. Gifford’s death. This case was a hard fought battle with no offer prior to the trial resulting in a successful verdict for the Gifford family.
