A Lake County jury awarded $25.8 million to a Valparaiso couple late Thursday following a four-day trial before Lake Superior Court Chief Judge John M. Sedia in Hammond.
George “Tim” Yaros, 70, had blood work done on Oct. 4, 2017, at St. Mary Medical Center in Valparaiso. The tests showed Yaros had localized cancer but St. Mary Medical Center never sent test results to the specialist who ordered the blood work, according to a release from Allen Law Group, the firm representing Yaros and his wife, LaVonne.
Tim Yaros’ cancer was not discovered until 13 months later, when he went into renal failure because, by then, the tumor had grown to Stage IV spreading to his spine and kidneys, according to the release. Yaros will need dialysis and lifetime treatment because of the delayed diagnosis and treatment, his attorneys said.
The jury recognized that Yaros’ wife of 43 years, LaVonne, also suffered grave harm, awarding her $4 million for her loss of her husband’s consortium, according to the couple’s attorneys.
Before trial, an independent medical review panel, required under Indiana law, found that St. Mary Medical Center had “failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care,” according to the release.
St. Mary Medical Center was represented by the law firm of Johnson & Bell.