A doctor was recently ordered to pay $33.8 million to a woman whose child suffered birth injuries while under his care. It is not the first time that he has been sued for medical malpractice involving birth injuries. In fact, in the same year that this woman gave birth to her child, the doctor delivered one other child who was permanently disabled and two who suffered irreversible brain damage. While this case did not take place in Ohio, similar cases are heard in the state each year.
All of the mothers who have sued this doctor for medical malpractice were teenagers, unwed, likely uninsured and low-income. The mother who won this particular case was not in a high-risk pregnancy and was expected to have a normal birth. She did not see the doctor until she was in the final stages of labor, and spent the next 90 minutes watching her doctor walk in and out of the room to make phone calls.
One of those calls lasted 8 minutes and was to his broker, and there were other calls which lasted long periods of time as well. The mother was receiving a drug to make her contractions stronger, which the doctor ordered the nurses to restart. He also failed to give the mother a C-section when it became obvious that it was needed. Later, he would modify her records to say that she had refused the operation.
The baby was born blue, with limp arms and legs. A medical team had to work to revive the baby. The baby suffered from a lack of oxygen which caused severe brain damage. The judgment will pay for the child’s needed round-the-clock care.
When medical malpractice suits involve birthing injuries, the effects on the child and his or her family can be devastating. Often, constant medical care will be needed for the rest of the child’s life, the parents lose time from work and medical bills mount. Those who have suffered because of a doctor’s mistake in Ohio, and in other states, have the right to contact a knowledgeable personal injury attorney who can guide them in how to seek financial relief through the civil justice system.
Source: miamiherald.com, “Miami doctor hit with $33 million judgment in brain-damaged baby suit“, Daniel Chang, April 28, 2017