The birth of a child is a much-anticipated event for families in Houston. All births are unique and most result in the addition of a healthy new son or daughter. But, occasionally babies come early and require special help. The failure to recognize conditions in preemies can be life-threatening.
A couple in another state has received a million dollar settlement in a malpractice suit against the radiologist who misread the X-ray of their preemie infant daughter. The baby girl was born healthy but premature at 34 weeks. She weighed 5 pounds at birth. She received feeding through a catheter that was inserted into her umbilical cord. After the nurse inserted the catheter, x-rays were taken of the position to make sure it was properly placed. The radiologist who read the X-ray failed to recognize that the tip of the catheter was in the baby’s heart. The baby died 3 days later of cardiac arrest and had fluid built up around her heart. Her lungs had also completely or partially collapsed as well. The family argued that the failure to recognize the placement of the catheter resulted in a worsened condition of their daughter and her tragic death. They were awarded $1.25 million in a malpractice suit.
Families who are affected by the tragic and unnecessary death of a loved one because of medical negligence may feel quite angry and wonder what went wrong. A legal professional skilled in medical malpractice can investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and figure out who is at fault. They can determine if there was delayed treatment and if a worsened condition had occurred because of medical negligence. Holding medical professionals accountable for their negligence is important in making sure these tragedies don’t happen to other families. Compensation can be collected for those families to help with medical expenses, funeral expenses, pain and suffering, and other monetary and non-monetary damages.
The death of a newborn baby is a tragic, unexpected loss for Houston families. When medical negligence results in the death of a baby then those who were negligent should be held accountable.
Source: mlive.com, “Grand Rapids couple awarded $1.25 million in malpractice suit after infant daughter’s death,” Heidi Fenton, Mar. 27, 2014
