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Massachusetts Judge Approves Record $6 Million Medical Malpractice Settlement In Baby Birth Injury Case

By Altman & Altman

In Massachusetts's Worcester Superior Court, a judge has approved a $6 million dollar medical malpractice settlement to be paid to Bruce and Susan Hanks and Jacob M. Hanks for the birth injuries suffered by Jacob. The settlement amount is the largest pretrial settlement amount ever approved in a medical negligence case filed in Massachusetts.

The Hanks family, from Dudley, had accused three doctors and five nurses at UMass Memorial Medical Center?Memorial Campus of not performing a Cesarean delivery in a timely manner for Jacob on December 29, 2000.

The plaintiffs are Dr. David Klein, Dr. Paul S. Dunn, Dr. Jacqueline Rendo and nurses Lisa Champagne-Lynch, Maureen Vancelette, Nancy Kolodziejczak, Paula Whynot and Kathleen Clifford. All of the defendants have denied acting negligently. If their insurers had not agreed to pay the $6 million settlement, the trial for the medical malpractice lawsuit would have begun next week.

Because of the delay, the plaintiffs say that Jacob did not have a heartbeat for more than 20 minutes. He now will have to live with permanent brain damage, as well as development, cognitive, and behavioral problems. He also lives at a residential school.

The majority of the $6 million will be placed in a trust for Jacob.

It can be devastating for parents to find that their child that should have been born healthy suffered serious and/or permanent damage because of the negligence or carelessness of a medical professional.

Birth injuries can include:

? Brain injuries
? Brachial palsy
? Facial paralysis
? Broken bones
? Shoulder dystocia
? Caput succedaneum

A child who has suffered severe birth trauma may require special and ongoing care for life. The costs for this type of care can be astronomical.

Our Boston, Massachusetts medical malpractice lawyers can explore your options with you and determine whether you have grounds to file a birth injury lawsuit and recover compensation for the harm that was suffered by you and your child.

$6M settlement in baby case a Bay State record, Telegram.com, March 1, 2008

Related Web Resources:

BBirth Injury, University of Virginia Health Systems

Birth Trauma, EMedicine.com

UMass Memorial Medical Center

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on March 06, 2008 (boomark / email).