Personal Injury Law

Delayed Delivery of Baby Results in $22.6M Verdict

By Leon Aussprung

A 13 1/2 hour delay in the delivery of a baby girl who was stuck in the birth canal resulted in brain injuries from both the delay in delivery and from the mother's uterus repeatedly contracting on the baby's head because of medications given to the mother to encourage labor. Testimony during the 5 week trial demonstrated that the treating OB/GYN knew prior to delivery that the mother had a narrow pelvic arch and that the baby was approximately 9 pounds. Notwithstanding these two contradictory facts, the doctor allowed the mother to attempt a vaginal delivery when a cesarean section was indicated. The doctor not only attempted a vaginal birth, but then allowed it to continue for 13 1/2 hours, during which the mother was having contractions every 1-2 minutes for many hours.

Because the baby's head was squeezed so many times during the long delivery by the frequent contractions, the now-10 year old suffered brain damage that resulted in permanent injuries. She has been diagnosed as spastic guadriplegic, which means she has only limited use of her arms and legs. She is limited to walking short distances and only with the use of a walker, she can ee but because the part of her brain that processes what she sees was damaged, she can't interpret what she is seeing, she is mildly retarded and she has difficulty utilizing her hands.

After hearing all the testimony, the jury in this Ohio case awarded almost $8M for future medical care, over $7M for the inability to perform normal activities, and $3M for pain and suffering. Grow v. Yang, Hamilton County, Ohio.

Full post as published by Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).