According to the Lehigh Valley Morning Call, a Pennsylvania family was awarded $4 million after an obstetrician caused a child to sustain birth injuries resulting in cerebral palsy.
The newspaper reported that Chloe McCarthy, 4, suffers from mild cerebral palsy and neurological injuries as a result of Dr. Garry C. Karounos’ failure to perform a cesarean section and continuance of a natural delivery before her birth in August 2009.
In addition, Chloe’s mother, Erin McCarthy, suffered injuries that left her incontinent and unable to work. The family’s attorney said that Karounos failed to monitor signs that a C-section would have been necessary given the size of the baby.
An ultrasound conducted four days before Chloe was born showed that the child weighed 10 pounds, which caused Erin to express concerns over her delivery. Karounos reportedly assured the mother that there “was nothing to worry about”.
When Erin was admitted to a hospital to give birth, her labor stopped progressing for nearly eight hours. Karounos decided to proceed with the vaginal delivery, using forceps to push assist the delivery when Erin became too tired to continue to push the baby forward.
At one point, while the baby was in the process of being delivered, her shoulder became stuck in Erin’s pelvis, causing a 3.5 minute delay where she was deprived of oxygen. As a result, the child had to be resuscitated by the neonatal intensive care team at the hospital.
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This case is a good example of medical malpractice leading to cerebral palsy. In most cases, this injury is the result of a fetus not receiving enough oxygen during the birthing process.
Unfortunately, for this child, she will have to suffer through a lifetime of complications that may include intellectual limitations, hearing deficits, vision impairment, behavioral problems, seizures, speaking difficulties and learning disabilities, because of the negligence of her healthcare provider.
If you live in Central Texas and have a baby that was diagnosed with a birth injury, contact our experienced birth injury attorneys today at 1(800) 460-0606 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – Birth Injury Attorneys
Did You Know? The CDC estimates that approximately 8,000 to 10,000 babies develop cerebral palsy each year.
