EDWARDSVILLE — A medical malpractice suit alleges a physician failed to properly diagnose a patient's pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis, resulting in her death.
Kelly Ley, as special administrator of the estate of Barbara A. Young, deceased, filed a complaint on Oct. 25 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Rajnikant Patel, MD, and Patel Internal Medicine, alleging they failed to diagnose Young's prior bouts of pneumonia.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that Patel was Young's primary care provider for several years. During that time, Ley alleges Patel failed to order testing and to refer Young to a pulmonologist when she began experiencing shortness of breath, wheezing, productive cough, rising blood sugar and increased weakness.
As a result of the defendants' negligence, Young was not diagnosed with or appropriately treated for pneumonia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which ultimately led to her death on Oct. 29, 2016.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendants in an amount greater than $50,000, plus costs. She is represented by Joseph N. Reames of The Law Office of Joseph N. Reames LLC in Wood River.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 18-L-1441