According to the Express-Times, a Pennsylvania family was awarded $55 million last December after it sued a hospital and one of its doctors for medical malpractice.
The news outlet reported that a Lehigh County jury awarded the money to the family after it was convinced that St. Luke’s University Hospital and Dr. Ronald Kirner ignored signs that a baby boy was not getting enough oxygen during his November 2009 birth and should have been delivered via Caesarean section.
The Express-Times reported that Matthew Crowell lost oxygen when he became stuck during a vaginal delivery. His mother, Sharon Petrosky Crowell, reportedly began hemorrhaging and required emergency surgery.
Matthew now suffers from cerebral palsy and is severely developmentally delayed. The jury reportedly decided St. Luke’s and Kirner are each 50 percent to blame for Matthew’s disabilities.
The Express-Times reported that the family is unlikely to get the full $55 million award because of a deal struck between the two parties before the jury reached a verdict. The agreement reportedly capped how much the hospital would pay if the plaintiffs won or lost their case.
Do I Need a Cerebral Palsy Attorney?
Recently we have been blogging about botched deliveries and delayed Caesarean sections. Birth injuries resulting from the failure to order a Caesarean section in a timely manner include deformities, brain damage, cerebral palsy, erb’s palsy and shoulder dystocia.
Cerebral palsy is debilitating on not only the child, but also for parents and family members. It results in intellectual limitations, hearing deficits, vision impairment, behavioral problems, seizures, speaking difficulties and learning disabilities. All of these issues require extended therapy and rehabilitation. It also results in specialized education needs, which result in increased costs for not only parents, but also for taxpayers.
Contact the birth injury attorneys at our firm immediately if your son or daughter is suffering from cerebral palsy because of a doctor’s negligence, so that we may advise you of your legal rights.
You can meet with our birth injury attorneys to see what options are available to you. For more information, call our firm at 1 (800) 460-0606 to schedule a free consultation.
Time is of the essence when it comes to birth injury lawsuits—limits, called statutes of limitations, vary from state to state. Our firm is well versed in birth injury law and each birth trauma attorney can provide you with the legal advice and representation you need to successfully pursue your case.
[Did You Know: There are four types of cerebral palsy: spastic, athetoid, ataxic and mixed.]
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth Injury Attorneys
Source: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/lehigh-county/index.ssf/2013/12/lehigh_county_jury_awards_fami.html
