If you read our blog regularly, you know how devastating birth injuries are to both the child and the family. Birth injuries like cerebral palsy can leave children with permanent disabilities that not only make life very difficult for them and their families, but are also very costly to manage.
Fortunately, victims of malpractice during birth in New Mexico are protected by medical malpractice laws. Although compensation cannot make up for the damage a birth injury causes, it can at least relieve a family’s financial burden during this difficult time. One recent news story from another state shows why medical malpractice laws are so important.
Yesterday, the Maryland Supreme Court ruled in favor of a family who sued a Baltimore hospital for causing cerebral palsy their son. The ruling ends the case that has been ongoing for years. The court upheld the original verdict, made in 2012, that awarded the family $20.6 million for the injuries the hospital caused to their son.
The boy was born prematurely, and during the birth, the hospital allowed the child to be born vaginally, which caused severe oxygen deprivation. The court ruled that the hospital should have performed a cesarean section. The child has already undergone multiple surgeries and does not have full use of his limbs.
Families who are forced into situations like this because of medical errors deserve to be compensated by the hospitals who caused them. If you are ever in a situation in which you suspect your child’s injuries were caused by negligent medical care, an experienced medical malpractice attorney can help you understand your options.
Source: The Baltimore Sun, “State’s highest court rejects hospital’s final appeal in birth injury case,” Meredith Cohn, March 19, 2015
