Hospital Sued for Nearly $25 Million in Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Case
Earlier this month in Oregon, a family filed suit against the medical center, hospital group, and doctor who assisted in their daughter’s birth after their daughter was born with severe cerebral palsy. According to a report by one local news source, the family is seeking roughly $13 million in non-economic damages and another $12 million in economic damages. The case has yet to be heard.
Evidently, the mother had given birth previously to a child, but she had done so through a cesarean section. This time around, she had a discussion with her doctor prior to giving birth that they would try and deliver the baby vaginally if possible. The mother agreed, but the execution of the delivery, the family claims, was far from adequate.
According to the family’s allegations, the doctor and hospital staff failed to provide the necessary level of treatment up to and throughout the birthing process, including inadequately monitoring the child’s prenatal heart rate, failing to intervene by performing a cesarean section in response to symptoms of distress, and failing to properly resuscitate the child and respond to seizures she had right after birth.
As a result of the doctor’s and hospital’s negligence, the family claims, their daughter was born with cerebral palsy. In addition, she has microcephaly (reduced brain size), “developmental delay, developmental articulation disorder, fine motor and speech delays, seizures, an increase in peripheral tone, a decrease in central tone, and [an in]ability to walk, think, or interact normally with others.”
Birth Injury Lawsuits
While the above are only allegations at this point, the family of the girl born with cerebral palsy has claimed that the delivering doctor failed to live up to the standard of care that the law requires all medical professionals to meet. If the family is successful in their case against the defendants, they may recover a substantial amount of money to help them raise their daughter and provide her with the best life possible, given the surrounding circumstances.
Birth injury cases can be extremely complex, and the brevity of this post or the article cited herein should not be taken to mean otherwise. Generally speaking, at least one medical expert will be required to testify on behalf of the plaintiffs, in order to show that their theory of negligence has merit within the medical community. Expert selection, therefore, can be an incredibly crucial part of a birth injury case.
Have You Given Birth to a Child with a Preventable Birth Injury?
If you have recently given birth to a child who was born with a preventable birth injury, you may be entitled to monetary compensation based on the negligence of the delivering doctor or hospital staff. However, these cases can be extremely complex, and it is advised that you speak to a dedicated birth injury attorney before deciding how to proceed. Call 410-998-3600 to set up a free consultation with a skilled attorney who is knowledgeable in the area of birth injury cases.
