Cook County Approves $9.8 Million Settlement Against Chicago Hospital

The Cook County Board has approved a $9.8 million settlement with the family of a pregnant woman who bled and died in Chicago’s Stroger Hospital three years ago.

The family of 27-year-old Farrah Dickerson claimed in a lawsuit that medical personnel at the hospital failed to give her blood-clotting products in a timely fashion after she began bleeding and collapsed in August 2005.

Dickerson was 31 weeks pregnant at the time. The baby survived the incident.

Cook County’s payment of insurance claims has become an issue for commissioners in recent months. Board President Todd Stroger wants to borrow $260 million to pay for court costs and insurance claims. However, opponents have blocked the effort, saying those should be covered with county revenue.