Man claims hospital cot collapse caused injuries

A former patient of Northwestern's hospital is suing over claims he sustained injuries after a cot collapsed.

Stacy Smith filed the lawsuit Dec. 8 in Cook County Circuit Court against Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Healthcare.

According to the complaint, Smith was a patient at the hospital on Dec. 28, 2012, when hospital staff told him to sit on a cot that was not stable, causing it to collapse and him to sustain injuries.

Smith seeks damages in excess of $50,000, plus court fees, and is represented by attorneys Stephen M. Libman and Scott Norris of Burnes & Libman in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L012546.

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