On March 6, 2026, Jerome A. Vinkler, Amber C. Konow, and Kayla L. Meloy of Vinkler Law Offices, Ltd. obtained a $1,950,000 confidential settlement in a Cook County wrongful death case involving a disabled, 38-year-old man who choked and aspirated while unsupervised in his group home.

The Plaintiff passed away on October 19, 2022. According to the allegations raised in the lawsuit, the Plaintiff required 24-hour supervision and monitoring due to his disabilities and known vulnerabilities. The Defendants prepared him for lunch while he sat upright at his desk, and he was left unsupervised for an unconfirmed amount of time. Staff found the decedent unresponsive with his face on his desk after aspirating on his vomit.

On October 19, 2022, at around 12:43 PM, a Chicago Heights Fire Department ambulance and crew arrived at the scene. Upon arrival, he was noted to be pulseless and apneic. He was suctioned, and food was noted to be lodged in his throat. He arrived at the hospital and was pronounced dead at 1:25 PM from aspiration and cardiopulmonary arrest that contributed to his death. However, the EMT denied the entry referred to food, but instead to aspirated stomach contents.

This lawsuit alleged that the Defendants failed to provide the Plaintiff with adequate supervision, failed to monitor him, and failed to administer emergency care in a timely manner. It was the duty of the staff in rendering care and services to the Plaintiff to possess and apply the knowledge, skill, and care ordinarily used by other reasonably careful providers under the same or similar circumstances.

The Plaintiff suffered injuries of a personal and pecuniary nature including pain and suffering, medical, funeral and other related expenses that he would have been entitled to receive compensation from the Defendant if he had survived. He left surviving his father and three brothers who suffered loss of companionship, society, consortium, grief, sorrow, and mental anguish due to the events that took place on October 19, 2022.

After substantial litigation and direct negotiations with defense counsel, the parties reached a settlement of $1,950,000. This resolution was achieved without mediation and reflects a negotiated agreement reached prior to trial. The Defendants denied liability, and the settlement represents a compromise of the disputed claims. No admission of wrongdoing or fault has been made by the Defendants.

According to Mr. Vinkler, “This was a disputed liability case that was fairly resolved. The Plaintiff’s family is now able to move on with this resolution.”

Vinkler Law Offices represents Plaintiffs injured in personal injury matters for catastrophic injury and wrongful death, including medical malpractice, product liability, drug litigation, trucking crash, construction, and nursing home matters.