Stroger Hospital sued over woman's thyroid surgery, severed nerves

A woman is suing a group of medical providers, claiming she was permanently injured during a surgery to remove her thyroid gland.

Shirley Jackson filed a lawsuit April 17 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Cook County, doing business as John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, Ambulatory and Community Health Network, Northshore University HealthSystem, Rush University Medical Center, and Drs. Subhash Patel, Thomas Diven and Brian Blackwood.

According to the complaint, Jackson underwent a total thyroidectomy at Stroger Hospital on June 25, 2012, when her laryngeal nerves were severed during surgery. The suit states Patel performed the surgery while Diven of Northshore and Blackwood of Rush served as assistants.

Jackson accuses the defendants of medical negligence and is seeking damages in excess of the jurisdictional limit. She is being represented by attorneys at Raymond & Raymond Ltd.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L004343.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. 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.