Many parents are apprehensive about the births of their children. While a variety of concerns may cause expectant parents anxiety, they rarely anticipate that they will lose their child due to the incompetence of their treatment providers. Unfortunately, some fetuses suffer harm before birth that is ultimately fatal, and in many cases, such injuries are caused by the recklessness of healthcare professionals. Parents who suffer the loss of their children at birth can often recover substantial damages, as demonstrated in a recent wrongful death verdict issued in a birth injury case in Baltimore. If your child suffered harm at birth due to the carelessness of a medical provider, it is in your best interest to speak to a knowledgeable Maryland birth injury lawyer as soon as possible to avoid waiving your right to seek redress.
The Plaintiff’s Allegations
It is reported that the mother arrived at the defendant hospital in active labor and at full term shortly after midnight on July 19, 2015. Four hours later, she began receiving doses of the hormone oxytocin to help her deliver. The fetus first displayed signs of cardiac distress around 9:00 am when a sensor indicated a heart rate of 160 beats per minute. The defendant directed the staff not to take any action, however.
According to the complaint, the mother began complaining of severe abdominal pain three and a half hours later. She was not taken to the operating room until 2:00 pm, though, at which time the defendant obstetrician-gynecologist performed an emergency cesarean section. Tragically, the baby was born with no detectable heart rate and resuscitation attempts were ineffective. In February 2018, the parents filed a wrongful death case against the hospital and the obstetrician-gynecologist. Continue Reading ›