When Joliet obstetricians, nurses and other medical professionals who are involved in the process of delivering a baby fail to monitor a mother and her unborn child during birth, any number of things could go wrong and result in devastating consequences for families.
Sadly, one family learned just how painful and costly an obstetrician’s mistake can be when their child suffered a serious birth injury in 2002. The couple’s child was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy can occur when a baby loses oxygen during birth, and it is a disabling injury. The couple’s child is now 9 years old, but he doesn’t have the normal functions of other children his age.
The couple filed a lawsuit against the hospital where their child was born. The child’s parents argued that their son’s injuries could have been prevented had staff delivered their son before he lost too much oxygen. The child was born vaginally. Had staff performed an emergency Cesarean section, the birth would not have been dangerously prolonged.
Last month, the family finally received some justice. A jury concluded that the hospital was responsible for their child’s injuries. The jury awarded the family more than $20 million in damages. Eighteen million will go toward the child’s life-long medical expenses.
When medical professionals are responsible for causing a child’s debilitating injuries, shouldn’t they be held liable for their mistakes, especially when a child will be forced to suffer the consequences of a doctor’s mistake for the rest of his or her life? Why should families be held financially responsible?
Birth injury cases in Illinois and throughout the entire U.S. are often complex and challenging because hospitals and their insurance companies will attempt to blame a child’s injuries on other factors such as pregnancy complications and a family’s medical history. For this reason, parents may want to consider working with an attorney if they suspect that a hospital’s or doctor’s negligence caused their child to suffer a disabling injury during birth.
Source: Baltimore Sun, “Jury awards Glen Burnie family $21 million in Harbor Hospital medical case,” Kevin Rector, July 31, 2012
- Our firm represents clients in medical malpractice and negligence matters that stem from events such as those described in this post. To learn more about our firm and practice, please visit ourWill County cerebral palsy lawyer page.
