Parents awarded $18 million in birth injury suit
When parents are expecting a child, their primary concern is typically that their child is healthy. However, sometimes a child is born with a birth injury due to the negligence of a third party. A couple from a state neighboring Ohio has recently been awarded over $18 million after filing a birth injury suit.
The boy was born in 2007. The specific details of the case were not publicly disclosed, but a huge area of debate in the case was the use of the drug Pitocin. Pitocin is a labor-inducing drug that is commonly used, but it appears as if the drug was used incorrectly in this case. As a result, the boy was diagnosed with various health problems, including a form of cerebral palsy following his birth.
In the lawsuit, the parents claimed that the doctor who delivered the boy as well as the hospital itself as defendants. However, after the jury deliberated for approximately one hour, they decided to clear the doctor. Instead, the jury found that the hospital’s failure to provide adequate care for the mother during childbirth was the “substantial cause” of the boy’s birth injury. As a result, the parents were awarded $18 million in damages.
If a child suffers a birth injury due to the negligence of a doctor or a health care entity in our state, the parents may be able to file for an Ohio birth injury suit. If successful, any damages awarded could be used to pay both present and future medical bills that will be incurred for the long-term care of the child. The parents may also attempt to claim other damages as long as they are applicable to the situation.
Source: kentucky.com, “Jury: Hospital must pay parents $18 million”, Nov. 26, 2014