- Malpractice: Dr. Christopher Clardy
- The Untouchable Doctor?
by Cortney Scott
Recently, the Chicago Sunnyside was made aware of an incredible story that has uprooted the lives of a once functional Southwest-side family. Due to a doctorıs negligence in what is a clear case of medical malpractice, the Lasak family will never be the same. But what is worse is that the doctor who caused this destruction has built a reputation of being ³untouchable² from being sued by attorneys. In the case of the Lasak family, eight different law firms showed an interest in their case, and all eight of them later refused to take their case. For some strange reason, after these attorneys talked to the attorneys of who was being sued, they all walked away from the case without giving a reason. Now, the question in everyoneıs mind that knows the Lasak family is, what did these attorneys walk away with? It definitely wasnıt their dignity.
Christopher, the son of Lottie and Stanley Lasak, was born at Loyola Hospital on September 25, 1992. He was born with prunebelly syndrome (A disease characterized by three major findings: deficient abdominal muscles, causing the skin of the abdomen to wrinkle like a prune, undescended testicles, and a dilated abnormal urinary tract.), which was controlled by dialisis treatments. There were no other problems with his other organs at that time. The only drawback in having this disorder is that Christopher would develop at a slower pace than other children his age and he wouldnıt be 100% healthy, but healthy enough to live a fairly normal life. This was something that the Lasakıs were able to cope with, and with the help and assistance of some of the staff at Loyola, things didnıt look so bad. This is where the nightmare begins.
One day while at home, Christopher began to vomit for no apparent reason. His mother, Lottie, contacted one of the nurses who worked with Christopher at Loyola, and she suggested for Mrs. Lasak to call an ambulance. Christopher, now 2-1/2 years old, to Holy Cross Hospital.
³Upon arrival, they did not give him any oxygen, an IV or anything else until four hours later!² said the nurse, who shall remain nameless for her own protection. Unable to fully service Christopher there, he was then transported to Rush Presbyterian St. Lukes Hospital. But by the time he got there, he had started having seizures. ³For the next ten days, the doctors did nothing! No MRI, no CAT scans, no examinations, nothing!² an emotional Mrs. Lasak said. This lack of treatment caused Christopher to suffer a stroke that paralyzed the entire right side of his body.
The doctor that was supposedly in charge of Christopherıs care, or lack thereof, Dr. Christopher Clardy (³Dr. Untouchable²), was considered by others at Rush to be a very prejudiced and ambitious person. A staff member involved in the situation at that time told the Sunnyside, ³Even the other nurses told Mrs. Lasak that if she wanted her child to live, she had better get him out of the care of Dr. Clardy. He even threatened to have her home taken if she removed Christopher from his care. It really bothered me because it was totally unethical.² The Sunnyside was asked not to reveal this personıs name out of her fear of being fired.
It was then discovered that as a result of too much sodium being put into Christopherıs IV, he fell into a coma. This devastated the Lasaks. They knew they had to get their son out of there. Expecting a lawsuit against him, Dr. Clardy was heard by our anonynmous source saying ³Donıt worry about the lawyers, I will handle them.² The word is, this doctor has a record of lawsuits against him, and by him having a politically powerful father-in-law that may or may not have intervened, attorneys have not been successful in their malpractice pursuits.
After finally removing Christopher from Rush to a pediatric neurologist, ³Dr. B², at the University of Illinois Hospital, and after very thorough tests and examinations, ³Dr. Untouchableıs² mistakes were exposed even further. In a written statement to the attorney that was ³appointed² to Mrs. Lasak while Christopher was at U of I, Dr. B stated, ³I reviewed the medical records from the Holy Cross Hospital, Rush Presbyterian St. Lukes Medical Center and the University of Illinois. In the records from Rush, there appear to be many dates for which records are missing. Rushıs records show that on July 10th or 11th, 1995, Christopher was in status, meaning he was undergoing continuing seizures. Although normally seizures may occur and subside on their own, this is not true in regards to a patient in status. Status epilepticus seizures are life threatening and can result in significant neurological injuries. It requires aggressive treatment with medications and may require intubation due to their need to be sedated. The Rush records reveal that there was not an appropriate response to Christopherıs status condition. The failure to aggressively give medications and intubate this patient once symptoms of status epilepticus seizures were evident amounted to a deviation from the standard care. To the extent that Dr. Clardy was employed by Rush, that institution would also be responsible for what had occurred to Christopher Lasak.²
This confirmation of negligence reportedlty angered ³Dr. Untouchable² and caused conflict between the two doctors. The Sunnyside was told that nurses from Rush were sent to U of I to go through Christophers files! During Christopherıs stay at that time, an attorney was supposedly appointed to the Lasaks by an anonomys source. ³He just showed up,² Lottie stated. Having few options, the Lasaks decided to work with the attorney to sue Rush and receive some compensation for the damage that was done.
Ironically, this attorney kept their case open for 4.5 years without ever pursuing a trial! ³He kept telling us that everything was in order, everything would be okay, and to stay patient,² Mrs. Lasak stated. But in reality, things would not be okay. This attorney, Mr. Brown, was overheard saying, ³If I pressure her hard enough, she will drop the case.² Due to the Sunnysideıs duty to protect our sources, the identity of those involved will not be revealed at this time.
After 4.5 years of deceit, Mr. Brown finally told the Lasaks that he will no longer handle her case. Since then, the Lasaks have been turned down by seven other law firms and have not been given a reason why by any of them.
Caring for Christopher without any financial help has been incredibly difficult for the Lasaks. Stanley Lasakıs insurance does not cover the cost for Christopherıs care. Lottie cannot work because she cares for Christopher 24 hours a day. Christopherıs life has gone from running around as a 2.5 year old to being reduced to a helpless ten year old that cannot talk, walk, feed or change himself, all because of the ambition of another human being. The Lasak case is cut and dry, and if taken to trial, many other factors related to the medical procedures will surface, giving validity to the Lasakıs struggle. There are staff members who knows every detail of what happened that said if the case goes to trial, they will testify on their behalf.
If all of the attorneys that refused to help the Lasaks would spend one day with Christopher, they will see how not helping has effected their household. Are there any attorneys out there that are courageous enough to stand up for true justice to be served? Or is the corruption so deep that any attorney can be persuaded to walk away for the right price? America, shame on you.
If any of our readers have had any experience concerning malpractice, please contact us at 773-722-7001. We would like to hear your story. If you are an attorney and can help, we would appreciate your feedback as well.
