Hospital Malpractice: Weitz & Luxenberg Wins $8 Million in Obstetrical Malpractice Case
Release on obstetrical malpractice.
November 14, 2006, NEW YORK,
NY—Medical errors account for nearly 100,000 deaths each year, estimates the
Institute of Medicine, a Washington-based policy research organization. Many
other patients live with debilitating conditions after falling victim to such
negligence. Toward its ongoing dedication to hold doctors and other medical
professionals accountable for the tragic injuries they inflict with substandard
care, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., one of the leading medical malpractice and personal injury
litigation law firms in America, is gratified by a recent obstetrical
malpractice suit that yielded an $8 million settlement.
The case, filed
in Kings County, New York, involved an infant who suffered brain damage at birth due
to a traumatic and delayed delivery. The child now lives with an intractable
seizure disorder—seizures that cannot be controlled with medication. The
monetary award derived from this case will be used by his young parents to help
mitigate the overwhelming cost of caring for him for the rest of his life.
Allan
Zelikovic, who handled the case and is the head of the Medical Malpractice
Unit at Weitz & Luxenberg said, “The care this young mother received would
be considered appalling even if it had occurred in a Third-World country. As a
result, this child, his parents, and his siblings will be responsible for his
care for the rest of his life. The only consolation is that now they know they
can afford to get him the best treatment.”
The hospital resident tasked
with measuring the fetal heart rate encountered the baby’s face in the birth
canal. This revealed that a caesarian section was indicated, as opposed to a
vaginal birth. However, when she relayed this information to the attending
physician, he summarily dismissed it, insisting upon delivering the baby
“naturally.”
As a result, the baby suffered facial abrasions due to his
facial skin being stretched excessively while being forced down the birth canal
face-first. Upon his delivery, it also became obvious that his neurological
status was compromised by both the blunt force trauma of the delivery and the
deprivation of oxygen. Appallingly, all of this irreversible damage could have
been prevented with entirely standard medical care.
Those who have been
affected by medical malpractice may
contact Weitz & Luxenberg via the form below.
see also:
Illinois University malpractice birth
Illinois University Medical asked to pay $4.8M for malpractice birthParents charge Illinois University with malpractice in traumatic birth
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