April Strange, a 33-year old wife and mother of two daughters, underwent an elective surgery to remove a non-cancerous mass from her liver. The surgery was performed by a surgeon employed by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. During the surgery, the surgeon negligently injured April’s vena cava (a large blood vessel that returns blood from the body to the heart) resulting in massive blood loss and her death. The surgeon claimed that the surgical instrument used during the surgery malfunctioned and caused April’s death. The $5.5 million dollar settlement – of which $5 million was paid on behalf of the surgeon, $250,000 was paid on behalf of a Central Illinois hospital, and $250,000 was paid on behalf of the product manufacturer – is the highest reported wrongful death settlement or verdict in Sangamon County.
