Family happy with settlement from hospital over birth of son

Having a baby may be a time of extreme happiness and anxiety about the future for the mother and father of the child. Once the pregnant woman has been admitted to the hospital for the birth, she depends on the medical professionals at the hospital to determine whether she requires emergency care and when she is ready to deliver her bundle of joy. Birth injuries that are the result of a doctor’s mistakes may be devastating and have long-term consequences for both the family and the hospital in Pennsylvania.

In one of the largest settlements the Ohio hospital has ever paid out, a woman who gave birth almost seven years ago will receive close to $6 million for the mistakes made during the birth of her son, who now requires around the clock care. According to the family’s attorney, the boy suffered brain damage that profoundly impaired his ability to function.

The boy’s brain damage was blamed on a doctor who took too much time to determine that the woman needed a C-section and the way Pitocin was administered to move her labor along. The medication caused her uterus to contract, which left the boy without oxygen for long periods of time.

The family will deal with the boy’s health issues for the rest of his life because of a few simple mistakes made by a trusted professional. His medical bills may exhaust the family finances as he grows old, and the family may suffer significant pain and suffering from the grief of losing what should have been a normal child.

Source: The Columbus Dispatch, “Brain injury during birth costs Ohio State hospital $5.25 million,” Ben Sutherly, June 28, 2013