Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital and one of its doctors has agreed to a $925,000 settlement with the wife of one of their patients who died from an aortic dissection.

The settlement was reached on June 22, but it was announced by Romanucci & Blandin LLC, who represented the plaintiff Barbara Mini, on Wednesday. The settlement still has to be approved by the judge in the case, Cook County Circuit Judge Lorna E. Propes.

On Jan. 25, 2010, Mini’s husband Joseph was reaching for an overhead light in his truck when he suddenly felt severe pain in his back.

Joseph Mini, 51, was admitted to the La Grange hospital emergency room at 10:40 a.m. His chiropractor and his regular doctor believed the pain he was experiencing was a cardiovascular issue.

Mini died less than five hours later from an aortic dissection — a tear of the inside wall of his aorta, the main artery carrying blood from heart to the rest of the body.

“The sooner you can make the prognosis and get them into surgery, the better chances they have to survive,” said Michael E. Holden, Barbara Mini’s attorney.

But upon being admitted to the hospital, Mini’s husband was initially treated for back pain and waited for more than two hours for a CT scan, which would have confirmed his aortic dissection.

In her first amended complaint, Mini asserted 10 counts of medical negligence, wrongful death and institutional negligence by the hospital and four of its doctors.

Some of the defendants initially named in the complaint were dropped during discovery.

Holden said as depositions were taken, it became apparent that three of the doctors were not in any position to affect Mini’s condition.

However, medical negligence counts remained against Dr. Ira Asher, the emergency room doctor who cared for Mini when he was first admitted that day.

Mini’s wife alleged the hospital and Asher did not act quickly enough to diagnose and treat her husband’s condition.

Asher and the hospital argued that the tear in Mini’s aorta was so severe that any delayed treatment by doctors would not have affected the outcome.

They also contended that they acted in a reasonable manner with the proper urgency.

Mini’s lawsuit was set to go to trial in June, which is also when the settlement discussions first began.

The settlement was reached the day before jury selection was scheduled.

Mini was an electric worker who made between $80,000 to $85,000 a year; the $925,000 settlement supplements the loss of that income his family relied on, Holden said.

The Minis have two children: a 20-year-old and a 15-year-old. Holden said he believes a portion of the settlement will pay for both of their college educations.

Asher was represented by Randall J. Gudmundson and Erin S. Davis of Kominiarek, Bresler, Harvick & Gudmundson.

They did not return a request for comment.

The hospital and Adventist Health System was represented by Scott A. Herbert of the Warrenville-based Cunningham, Meyer & Vedrine, P.C. He did not return a request for comment.

The case is Barbara Mini v. Adventist Health Partners, et al., 12 L 207.