A Sangamon County jury has awarded $3.2 million to the family of a boy who suffered a brain injury during a period of delayed CPR after his appendix was removed.

The verdict came Oct. 20 against Dr. Gurpreet Mander in plaintiff Jolene Vincent’s medical negligence case. She sued St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, physicians Mander and Ruth Mayforth and their medical group SIU Physicians and Surgeons Inc. in 2012, alleging the doctors delayed diagnosing her son Trevor’s appendicitis and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent his post-operative cardiac arrest in February 2009.

Trevor, who was 11 years old at the time, developed a stomachache in late January 2009 and was sent to the Springfield hospital two days later with a ruptured appendix, said Henry Phillip Gruss, owner of Henry Phillip Gruss Ltd. who represented his mother.

The child, however, did not immediately undergo surgery. Instead, he remained under Mayforth’s care during his first week as she attempted conservative treatment, Gruss said.

Trevor underwent surgery after Mayforth went off call on Feb. 1, 2009.

“By that time, Trevor was septic with multi-organ system failure,” Gruss said.

Trevor became critically ill with septic shock after his surgery, Gruss said. He experienced nearly 30 minutes of cardiopulmonary arrest eight days after his surgery, which the lawsuit alleges resulted in a Code Blue that required prolonged resuscitation efforts.

But CPR was delayed for 14 minutes, Gruss said. Trevor suffered an anoxic brain injury because of the delay, he said.

Mander, who was in charge of Trevor’s care during the Code Blue, contended CPR wasn’t necessary, Gruss said.

Peter W. Brandt, a partner at Livingston Barger Law Firm in Bloomington who represented the physicians and their medical group, could not be reached for comment.

Trevor, who also lives with Down syndrome, now experiences a permanent loss in his ability to walk or control his bowel and bladder, Gruss said.

He said the parties attempted two mediations but failed to reach an agreement ahead of their three-week trial before Circuit Judge Peter C. Cavanagh.

The jury found in favor of Mayforth and St. John’s Hospital and against Mander and the physicans’ group after two days of deliberations. It awarded Vincent $400,000 for the disfigurement resulting from Trevor’s injury, $750,000 for his past and future disability, $500,000 for his past and future pain and suffering, $1,007,205 for past medical expenses, $550,000 for future medical expenses and $21,650 for funds Vincent spent acquiring medical equipment and making home accommodations for her son.

The physicians’ group will pay the verdict.

Nathan L. Holmstrom Wetzel, an associate at Graham & Graham Ltd. in Springfield who represented the hospital, could not be reached for comment.

Gruss said Trevor’s mother did her best to take care of her son until his brain injury that “changed his life forever.”

“He used to be able to run and play and walk and jump, and that was taken away from him. Now he’s going to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair,” he said.

“We had a difficult fight every step of the way because there was no settlement offer. But with our hard work and our preparation, we ended up with a verdict on behalf of Trevor which we hope will take care of him for the rest of his life.”

The Vincents live outside Moline in Atkinson.

Gena Gruss Romagnoli and Kristin M. Gruss, both partners in Gruss’ firm, also represented Vincent.

The case is Jolene Vincent v. St. John’s Hospital et al., 12 L 131.