Doctors sued for negligence after woman suffers stroke

A couple is suing a hospital and physicians, claiming they failed to properly diagnose signs of a stroke.

Tracy Kuzmiak and Eugene Kuzmiak filed a lawsuit Oct. 24 in Cook County Circuit Court against Dr. Steven L. Kooperman, Dr. Kristen Stone-Mulhern, Illinois/Indiana EM-I Medical Services SC, Dr. Sitaramarao Bobba, Northwest Women's Consultants SC and Centegra Health Systems, doing business as Centegra Memorial Medical Center, citing medical negligence, institutional negligence and loss of consortium.

According to the complaint, on April 25, 2007, Tracy Kuzmiak was admitted to Northwest Community Hospital for delivery of her second child, under the care of Kooperman.

Kuzmiak was discharged from the hospital on April 28, but on April 30 she went to the emergency room with complaints of right calf pain, ankle swelling, headache and an elevated blood pressure.

The complaint states that she was seen by Kooperman and Stone-Mulhern who believed Kuzmiak was suffering from post-partum hypertension. On May 12, Kuzmiak awoke with a severe headache, dizziness and facial droop on her left side and was rushed to Centegra Memorial Hospital with symptoms of a stroke.

On May 16, the suit states she was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and admitted to the stroke service department and her condition was later stabilized. The complaint alleges that the defendants failed to timely diagnose and treat her vascular anomaly and prevent the stroke, among other allegations.

The Kuzmiaks are seeking damages in excess of $50,000. They are being represented in the case by attorney Paul R. O'Malley.

Circuit Court of Cook County Case No. 2013L011783.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.