Lisa Corwin and Chip Corwin of the Bloomington law firm Wylder Corwin Kelly were the lawyers representing the Estate of Laura Alice Powell, deceased, in a jury trial March 6-10, 2017. The jury found in favor of the Powell family and against Dr. Victor Eloy, a gastroenterologist. The jury returned damages of $290,000.
Laura Alice Powell bled to death at Decatur Memorial Hospital on November 27, 2004. Five days before she died, Laura received a diagnosis of esophageal varices from Dr. Eloy. Esophageal varices are enlarged veins in the esophagus that are susceptible to bleeding. If these veins start to bleed, a procedure called esophageal banding can stop the bleeding. If the bleeding is not controlled, a person can quickly bleed to death.
Laura’s esophageal varices started to bleed the night of November 26, 2004. She went to the hospital and was seen by Dr. Eloy, who concluded her esophageal varices had bled. The jury found Dr. Eloy was negligent for failing to check if Laura’s varices were still bleeding and for failing to perform a banding procedure on Laura to ensure she would not bleed to death. The jury found Dr. Eloy’s negligence was a cause of Laura’s premature death.
The one-week jury trial was held in Macon County in front of Judge Thomas E. Little. The jury deliberated for approximately four hours.