A jury recently awarded $8.5 million after an Illinois hospital admitted that doctor malpractice led to a patient’s death.

Because Heartland Regional Medical Center admitted fault in the wrongful death lawsuit, the jury was not required to determine liability. Instead, the jury only needed to decide how much to award the estate of the deceased party.

The $8.5 million award is a record high for Williamson County, Ill. – nearly $6 million higher than the award which held the previous record.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed five years ago by the family of Lowell W., a man who allegedly died due to his doctor’s negligence during voluntary shoulder surgery.

“Lowell died when a certified registered nurse anesthetist and hospital employees administered a lethal dose of a gas known as Sevoflurane, causing Lowell to become dangerously hypotensive,” stated a news release from legal counsel for Lowell’s estate. Hypotensive refers to low blood pressure, a condition that can be life-threatening and lead to numerous serious complications if not quickly resolved.

According to the firm’s press release, “the attending anesthesiologist did not respond to the emergency situation for approximately 55 minutes, despite multiple attempts to contact her.” At the time of the accident, the doctor claimed that there had been an emergency which prevented her from taking the calls but that argument was reportedly never validated.

The massive jury award will compensate Lowell’s family for his loss. Plaintiff counsel said that the jury “obviously” determined that Lowell was “terribly wronged” by Heartland Regional Medical Center when the attending anesthesiologist allegedly failed to monitor him and sufficiently consult his medical records before his elective shoulder operation.

Heartland’s Regional Director of Marketing Herby Ross released the following statement to The Southern Illinoisan after the jury award was announced: “Heartland Regional Medical Center offers our sincere condolences to the Williamson Family. Heartland Regional is committed to providing safe, high-quality care to improve the health of our community, and grateful to be a health care resource for Southern Illinois. It is not our practice, however, to comment on the outcome of litigation.”

According to the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys (ABPLA), medical malpractice includes the following three elements: violation of standard care, injury caused by negligence, and injury resulting in significant damages. Some common examples of medical malpractice include failure to diagnose a condition; misdiagnosis; misreading or disregarding lab results; unnecessary surgery; surgical errors; improper medication; poor aftercare; premature discharge; and other acts of negligence involving healthcare providers.

Unfortunately, medical doctor malpractice is surprisingly common. Forbes reports that 75 percent of doctors in low-risk specialties have faced a malpractice claim during their careers, with 99 percent of high-risk specialty doctors having faced malpractice claims. Americans reportedly file 17,000 medical malpractice lawsuits each year as a result of negligence behavior.

Filing a doctor malpractice lawsuit can help injured parties and their families recover compensation for potentially life-changing injuries or deaths. Speaking to a qualified medical malpractice attorney is an option that these individuals may want to consider when dealing with the after-effects of negligence in a medical setting.