When patients seek medical care, they deserve treatment that meets or exceeds the standard of care for the medical profession. Unfortunately, in many cases just the opposite occurs.

Because of human error, as well as systemic problems, there have been reports of increasing numbers of people maimed or killed each year by medical errors, exceeding those hurt in workplace injuries.

Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor or other health care provider deviates from the standard of care. This means that they did not provide the type of care that other members of the profession would have under the same or similar circumstances.

Christopher Patrick Ford has years of experience representing patients and their family members in cases arising from medical malpractice. Because of our zealous representation, we have obtained substantial recoveries on behalf of

those who have been catastrophically injured or killed due to medical errors.

Mr. Ford has handled cases involving infants who have sustained birth injuries, specifically Cerebral Palsy and Erb's Palsy, as well as patients whose physicians have failed to diagnose and properly treat cancer.

Mr. Ford has obtained successful verdicts against hospitals and doctors in a variety of contexts including:

• $17.5 million dollars in a medical malpractice case for 33 year old man who suffered strokes in his brain and spine after open heart surgery, resulting in tetraplegia; and

• $5.2 million dollars in a medical malpractice case for a man who lost his leg due to the failure to diagnose appendicitis, leading to sepsis and arterial clot in the leg.

• $4.75 million dollars in a medical malpractice case for a man who sustained paraplegia due to medical care provider's failure to diagnose a spinal infection.

• $4.5 million dollars in a cancer treatment malpractice case resulting in a forequarter amputation;

• $2.75 million dollars in an emergency room malpractice case involving the failure to diagnose a coronary artery dissection resulting in the death of a mother;

• $1.85 million for a 74 year old man who had neck surgery to cure numbness in his hands, and became a incomplete quadriplegic due to a post-surgical infection.

• $2.98 million dollars in a construction safety case for a night watchman who sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his hands and torso;

• $3.6 million dollars in a construction negligence case for a man who sustained an above-knee amputation in a tractor rollover;

• $6 million dollars for the death of a 25 year old graduate student killed in a police chase (which verdict was later reduced due to Illinois’ joint and several liability law).

When a consumer buys or uses a product, whether it is a motor vehicle, work tool, appliance, or pharmaceutical item, they rightfully expect that product to perform safely and efficiently. Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Use of defective products can result in tragic consequences.

A defective product is one that was either designed with defects or was manufactured

improperly. Flawed design or manufacturing defects may result in unsafe products that cause injury to consumers. Unfortunately, there have been countless cases of defectively or dangerously designed consumer products harming and often killing consumers, including children.

In a products liability case, the law may find blame with any or all individuals, corporations or other legal entities involved in placing the product into the stream of commerce. This can include the designer, manufacturer, marketer, supplier and retailer. These individuals may be held liable for any injury the product causes.

For years, Christopher Patrick Ford has represented workers and families who have been seriously injured by defective products, both at home and in the workplace. Among the kinds of cases we've handled are:

• Vehicle rollovers, including construction equipment

• Automobile and Truck design, manufacture, and maintenance defects

• Fire injuries

• Electrical injuries, including power line defects

• Swimming pool and aquatic injuries

• Industrial equipment defects including grinder and press cases

• Industrial plant injuries

• Faulty Chinese products, including powered hand tools

• Motorcycles and all terrain vehicles (ATVs)

• Building code violations

• Heating equipment defects

• Road defects

• Pharmaceutical/Nutraceutical (food supplement) defects

• Airline crashes