Court Testimony About Effect of Down's Syndrome Suffered by a Surviving Child of a Decedent

In Stringham v. United Parcel Service, Inc., 181 Ill. App. 3d 312, 536 N.E.2d 1292, 130 Ill. Dec. 81 (1989), the trial court had permitted a physician to testify about the effect that Down's Syndrome would have on the surviving child's educability, her ability to care for herself over the course of her childhood and adulthood, and the projected progression of her visual impairment as she grew older. Stringham, 181 Ill. App. 3d at 314-15, 536 N.E.2d at 1293. The court held that a limited inquiry into Down's Syndrome suffered by a surviving child of the decedent was permissible, reasoning that the physician's testimony was relevant to show the child's loss of her father's guidance, attention, and instruction and attendant pecuniary loss. Stringham, 181 Ill. App. 3d at 314, 536 N.E.2d at 1293.