Because most labors and deliveries go relatively smoothly and parents get to come home with their perfectly healthy children afterward, it may be easy to overlook the fact that the birth of a child has several risk factors associated with it, to both the mother and child. Fortunately, people in New York can put their faith into the decisions that their medical care providers make to ensure a smooth process. However, doctor errors could ultimately have a significant impact on the outcome.
In fact, a recent lawsuit claimed that medical malpractice led to birth injuries, including brain damage. The parents of an injured child accused the doctor and nurse of negligence during the 2009 birth of their son. A jury recently ruled that the injuries the boy suffered were preventable.
His parents claim that a cesarean section should have been performed sooner. Doing so, they claim, would have prevented a drop in the baby’s heart rate which caused a lack of oxygen flow to the baby’s brain. The lawsuit also questioned the doctor’s decision to use a drug that strengthens labor contractions as part of the delivery.
As part of the ruling, the jury awarded the couple $50 million. Following the verdict, the hospital announced its decision to file an appeal, claiming that it continues to support the medical decisions that the delivery team made. Unfortunately, injuries such as this often leave parents in New York wondering how they will meet the increased needs of the injured child. When such harm comes as a result of doctor errors, they may choose to file a medical malpractice lawsuit as this family has done to both ensure they are able to provide adequate care and potentially prevent others from similar suffering.
