Some Illinois children are born with debilitating conditions that cannot be prevented. However, medical professionals in Chicago and throughout the entire country are responsible for making sure that any complications that do arise during pregnancy or delivery are managed and treated properly in order to prevent a mother and her child from becoming seriously or fatally injured.
After one couple’s daughter suffered an injury to her arm during birth more than three years ago, the couple finally found some consolation from the incident last month after a jury concluded that their daughter’s birth injury was indeed a result of medical negligence.
The child’s mother said that the family is certainly happy to know that the doctor will be held accountable for the birth injury, but she also acknowledged that their child will suffer from the doctor’s mistake for the rest of her life. “My daughter is never going to be 100 percent,” the mother stated.
The couple from Nebraska gave birth to their daughter in June 2008. But during the delivery, the couple claimed that the doctor made several mistakes that caused the child’s left arm to be paralyzed. According to the lawsuit, the doctor had attempted to get the large 9-pound baby through the birth canal by using a vacuum. However, the baby’s shoulder got stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone.
The lawsuit argued that the doctor panicked once the baby was stuck, and instead of attempting to maneuver the position of the baby safely, the doctor pulled down on the baby’s head to deliver the child. As a result, the baby suffered three ripped nerves and two ruptured nerves in her left arm.
Three years later, the child still cannot use her left arm and her mother said that her child is starting to notice that her arm looks different compared to other kids. Since the injury, the child has undergone several surgeries to try to restore movement in her arm.
Last month, a jury awarded $1.8 million to the child to compensate the child for her pain and suffering, any past and future medical expenses and any future lost wages resulting from her disability.
Source: Omaha World-Herald, “$1.8 million awarded in birth injury,” Todd Cooper, Nov. 24 2011
