Personal Injury Law

Baby Injured by Birth Trauma Wins $19 Million in Medical Malpractice Suit

By Jeff Lowe, Esq.

A baby boy disabled during birth trauma was awarded $19 million to help pay for the life-long medical care needed due to the boy?s injuries.

The boy was born during a c-section, and had to be resuscitated. The baby had to spend the first four months of his life in intensive care. He is permanently disabled, legally blind, suffers from severe brain damage and he has cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is usually caused by lack of oxygen during pregnancy. It causes hypoxic brain injury which means that the brain has been deprived of oxygen. This is usually proven by a CT scan which is interpreted by a neuro radiologist. The neuro radiologist can also date when the brain was deprived of oxygen. In addition, when a baby is born with cerebral palsy the baby's blood is checked for excess levels of PH. When a person (including a child in utero) is deprived of oxygen their blood will have excess levels of acid which is called acidosis. These tests are routinely performed on a child who is born with cerebral palsy.

The plaintiffs alleged that the obstetrician misdiagnosed the boy?s mother. The boy's mother called her doctor in the 30th week of her pregnancy and complained of abdominal pain. It was alleged that the doctor did not determine that she was hemorrhaging, did not give the her the proper tests, did not recognize that the baby was in distress or heed the warnings of his nursing staff who identified the woman?s problem.

The jury found that the doctor was negligent and awarded the boy $19 million in damages.

The lawyers of The Lowe Law Firm are experienced in helping people injured by medical malpractice. We will seek compensation for past and future medical expenses, past and future wages, pain and suffering, disability and other damages. We also represent family members in wrongful death cases.

We offer a free initial consultation for victims of medical malpractice. If you cannot make it to our office, we will come to you at the hospital or your home.

Full post as published by Missouri Injury Lawyer Blog on March 31, 2008 (boomark / email).