A nurse’s aide who filed a medical malpractice case against the hospital where she gave birth is now poised to receive $50 million, which she says she will use on her son’s care. A jury in the woman’s home state awarded her $109 million after a trial regarding the boy’s birth injury, but the mother at some point made a deal to accept $50 million at the most. While the hospital maintained that it felt its staff had cared for the woman properly, it indicated that it intended to abide by its agreement with the child’s mother.
According to reports, the woman, who gave birth as a single mom around five years ago, arrived at the hospital and, upon her arrival, doctors apparently received information that the baby was not moving around in the mother’s womb. For some reason, they did not elect to perform a Cesarean Section at that time even though, the woman argued, there was clearly something wrong with the child.
Although doctors managed to deliver the child alive, he unfortunately suffered severe brain damage at some point during labor and delivery. As a result, the boy does not talk and is not fully mobile. He requires constant medical care which, until the jury’s verdict got announced, the mother had no prospect of offering herself. The boy had to be transferred to a facility that could care for him.
This case is yet another illustration showing what an important job a labor and delivery doctor and his or her support team have each time a new child comes into the world. Without quick thinking and prompt, effective care, a child can wind up with a serious and life-altering injury. Should this happen, parents in the Kansas City area may be able to file a claim under Missouri law for medical malpractice.
