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Cook County Jury Awards $3.4 Million to Woman with Kidney Failure

A Cook County jury has awarded $3.4 million to a woman who suffered kidney failure caused by a doctor-prescribed drug before a colonoscopy.

A blood test in March of 2002 confirmed that plaintiff Martha Minnifield suffered from chronic kidney disease. One month later, Minnifield was instructed by gastroenterologist Doris Lurwick to take a three-ounce bottle of Fleet Phospho-Soda Buffered Saline laxative prior to undergoing a colonoscopy. This over-the-counter laxative is widely known to pose a risk of kidney failure in patients with kidney disease.

The plaintiff turned to Attorney Edward McNabola and attorney Theodore C. Jennings for representation. She and her attorneys claim that the doctor should have prescribed GoLytely, a safe alternative drug that poses no risk to the kidneys.

As a result of this medical error, Minnifield had to undergo 2.5 years of dialysis amounting to $574,000 in medical bills. It took the jury less than two hours to reach a verdict.

Read the full story in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

Click here to view the Jury Verdict Report.

Have you been injured and you suspect that medical negligence played a role? Contact McNabola & Associates, LLC for a complimentary consultation.

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