Some Joliet residents might not understand why it is necessary for some victims of medical malpractice to be awarded a significant amount of money for damages. Perhaps a recent lawsuit filed by a couple in Missouri will help clarify the importance of taking legal action after a patient and family has been severely wronged by a medical professional’s mistake, negligence and poor treatment.
Before we explain what happened, we want to warn our readers that the couple’s lawsuit includes some graphic details about what happened to their child during birth. If you prefer not read on, then we will simply explain that the child did not survive his birth injuries. It may be an understatement to say that the child’s birth was completely mishandled.
The couple’s lawsuit explains that they are traumatized by what happened during their child’s birth in March 2011. They are suing medical professionals for making several mistakes that should have never been made, which ultimately led to their son’s wrongful death.
The lawsuit states that the couple had been informed in February 2011 that their child could not be born vaginally because his abdomen was too large. But when it came time for the child to be born, the doctor who was supposed to safely deliver the child had refused to perform a Cesarean section.
During a vaginal delivery, the child’s head went through the birth canal without any complications, but his abdomen became stuck. While trying to get the baby’s abdomen through the birth canal, the doctor caused the baby’s head to become separated from his cervical spine. The lawsuit includes details about some other horrible mistakes that were made after the child was fatally injured.
One incident of medical malpractice could haunt a family for the rest of their life. No medical professional or facility should get away with this type of negligence, especially when a mistake results in the death of a patient or baby. This family did not deserve to lose their baby, especially in such a horrific manner, but they do deserve to seek justice for their tragic loss.
Source: Yahoo News, “Newborn’s Decapitation at Birth Prompts Malpractice Lawsuit,” William Browning, Oct. 12, 2012