Personal Injury Law

Illinois Wrongful Death Lawsuit Alleges Medical Malpractice and Pharmacy Mistakes

The executor of Lori Elizabeth Plumb?s estate is suing Dr. Tibor Kopjas, physician?s assistant Natalie Redmond Menossi, pharmacist Richard Sprehe. and Medicine Express for her Illinois wrongful death. Ronald Plumb says Lori Plumb died from polypharmacy overdose on December 19, 2007.

He claims Kopjas and Menossi prescribed multiple medicines for Lori, including Lexapro, Levothyroxine, Fluoxetine, Mirtazapine, Triamterene, Bumetanide, Alprazolam, Cytomel, Busiprone, Azithromycin, Protax , Remeron, Tramadoland, and Darvocet, and that some prescriptions and refills were made without the medical team actually seeing the patient. Ronald says that Medicine Express and Sprehe failed to properly fill some of Lori?s prescriptions and failed to follow the doctor's directions when filling one prescription order.

As a result of all the medicines she was ingesting, Lori sustained injuries to her immune, nervous, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. Ronald also says that she experienced low potassium levels and suffered extended and acute mental and physical pain prior to her death. Lori leaves behind two minor children who must now grow up without their mother?s guidance, financial support, companionship, and love.

Ronald is accusing Menossi and Kopjas of Illinois medical malpractice, including failure to properly treat Lori and prescribing medications that were unsafe for her. He claims that Medicine Express and Sprehe committed pharmaceutical malpractice that contributed to her Illinois wrongful death.

Ronald is seeking over $550,000, in addition to costs, other relief, and interest.

Medication Mistakes and Pharmacy Errors
Prescribing drugs to a patient is an important step in treatment, and doctors cannot afford to make prescription mistakes, which can lead to adverse reactions, dangerous side effects, illness, and death. Meantime, pharmacists are responsible for making sure that they fill prescriptions correctly and notify customers of any risks associated with taking a particular medication. If a doctor?s handwriting is difficult to read on a prescription, the pharmacy must make sure that they don?t incorrectly decipher the writing and end up giving the patient the wrong medication or the wrong dosage. Medical mistakes and pharmacy errors can kill people.

Woman taking 14 different drugs suffers polypharmacy overdose, suit claims, The Recorder, December 23, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Pharmacists and medical malpractice, Wrong Diagnosis

Medical malpractice: Illinois Supreme Court delays ruling on damages cap case, Chicago Tribune, December 18, 2009

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on December 23, 2009 (boomark / email).