Family of Gibson City Man Awarded Medical Malpractice Settlement

A Ford County jury has awarded a $950,000 to the family of a deceased Gibson City man in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Longtime Gibson City resident and farmer Dean Buhs died October 12, 2008, after he sought treatment for chest pains. He was treated in the emergency room on October 6 and 7, 2008, before being admitted to an area hospital on Oct. 9, 2008, under the care of his primary care physician, Dr. David Hagan. The lawsuit alleged Hagan failed to order appropriate tests and refer the patient to a cardiologist. The jury verdict in favor of Buhs' family and against Hagan and the Gibson City Clinic was returned after four hours of deliberation following a two-week trial. The verdict is the first and largest medical malpractice verdict returned by a jury in favor of a plaintiff in Ford County. A previous 2007 settlement of $370,000 in another medical malpractice action was reached before a jury trial.