According to DisabilityScoop.com, a couple in Washington was awarded $50 million after their son was born with severe birth disabilities.
According to the website, Brock and Rhea Wuth were told they had a 50-50 chance of having a child with a defect or a related issue, so prior to conception, they sought genetic counseling and testing, following doctor recommendations.
When Rhea became pregnant shortly thereafter, genetic testing said their child was “normal”. However, when their son Oliver was born in 2008, they knew something was wrong with him. Oliver was born with profound mental and physical disabilities.
Oliver, now 5, has an IQ of 50 to 70, cannot run, walk up stairs or talk beyond a few dozen words, according to DisabilityScoop.com. The website noted that he would need care for the rest of his life.
The Wuth’s sued Valley Medical Center in Renton, Washington and Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp), based in North Carolina for the botched genetic test.
“Valley ordered a prenatal test that can be counted on to find [a specific] type of chromosomal abnormality only when the lab receives additional information — a road map, essentially — showing it where to look for the specific problem,” DisabilityScoop.com reported. “Valley failed to send that information to the lab, and never told Rhea Wuth that without the additional directions.”
Locate a Birth Injury Lawyer
As we reported earlier this month, delays in genetic testing or mishaps are putting babies at risk for disabilities. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, last year, of the nearly 3 million screening tests performed after childbirths, an estimated 160,000 from 31 states arrived late to labs.
Whenever a genetic testing company has errors or there are serious delays in testing, it is very possible that a child could be born with brain damage or other disorders. In the case above, the couple was very responsible in attempting to get genetic testing done prior to the child’s birth, and they were let down.
We represent parents whose children have suffered birth injuries including cerebral palsy, erb’s palsy, shoulder dystocia and other birth injuries. We also represent parents of fraternal twins with autism.
If you need to speak with a lawyer about your son or daughter’s condition, contact our birth injury attorneys. To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys, call our firm at 1 (800) 460-0606.
[Did You Know: Nearly every baby born in the U.S. has its blood collected within a day or two of birth to be screened for disorders.]
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth Injury Attorneys
Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/12/13/couple-awarded-50-million/18968/
