Infant Suffered Catastrophic Injuries at Birth, Resulting in Permanent Brain Damage
Our firm represented a family whose child suffered catastrophic injuries at birth due to negligent medical care during a late-term pregnancy procedure.
The mother, in her third trimester, was scheduled for a non-obstetric procedure at a major hospital. Despite well-known risks of performing such procedures on pregnant women, no obstetrical consultation was obtained beforehand, and continuous fetal monitoring was not used. Shortly after being placed in position for the procedure, the mother developed signs of a serious complication: low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and severe abdominal pain. These warning signs were ignored, and the elective procedure was started and completed rather than stopping to address her condition or assess the baby’s well-being.
By the time an emergency cesarean section was finally performed more than an hour later, the baby was born unresponsive, requiring aggressive resuscitation. He was later diagnosed with severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a permanent brain injury that left him with profound physical and cognitive impairments, seizures, an inability to swallow, and dependence on lifelong medical and custodial care.
The family also endured the trauma of watching their healthy pregnancy end in a preventable medical disaster.
Through aggressive litigation, including consultation with leading medical experts, we demonstrated that the medical team failed to follow basic safety rules, ignored obvious red flags, and caused permanent harm that will affect this child and family forever.
The case resolved before trial for $13.5 million, providing the family with financial security and resources to ensure their child’s complex medical, therapeutic, and daily living needs are met for life.