A Lake County jury awarded a Valparaiso couple a $25.8 million verdict following a disputed medical case involving St. Mary Medical Center in Valparaiso. The hospital failed to correctly communicate potentially life-altering test results to George "Tim" Yaros cancer specialist, subsequently delaying his cancer diagnosis for over a year. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Yaros underwent blood work on October 4, 2017, which indicated localized cancer. However, the results never reached the specialist who ordered them.
Due to the miscommunication, Yaros' condition went unnoticed and untreated, ultimately leading to Stage IV cancer and renal failure. The diagnosis was only made 13 months later after severe damage had been incurred. Now required to undergo dialysis and contending with perpetual treatment, Yaros' quality of life has been considerably reduced. The details of the lawsuit illuminated by CBS News stress the family's intention to prevent similar oversights from happening in the future.
Delving into the pretrial process, an independent medical review panel in Indiana found St. Mary Medical Center to have "failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care," as per the Chicago Tribune. The law firm Johnson & Bell represented St. Mary Medical Center.
