Woman Awarded 22.6 Million After Baby Stuck In Birth Canal For 13 Hours

As initially reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer, an Ohio woman whose baby was stuck in her birth canal for 13½ hours won $22.6 million last month in a medical malpractice lawsuit.   A Hamilton County jury - which heard five weeks of testimony and deliberated for 3½ days - found physician and her practice group negligent in the case.   Jurors also found that the doctor and her group knew or should have known their actions would have resulted in brain injuries during the Sept. 4, 1997, birth of the woman's child.  According to the Plaintiff's attorney, the evidence was very compelling that this baby was not going to fit through the birth canal due to her size of over nine pounds.  In addition, the mother was known to have a narrow pelvic arch.   In addition to being a big baby in a small canal, the baby's injuries also were allegedly caused because medical workers continued to give the mother drugs to make the uterus contract, hoping to expel the baby. The result was a uterus contracting on the baby's stuck head, causing brain damage.  Ultimately, the baby was delivered by Caesarian section.  Now 11, the baby is a spastic quadriplegic.  The baby suffered brain damage that will affect her for life because her head was squeezed for so long.  She can walk short distances but needs a walker. She can see but because the part of her brain that processes vision was damaged, her brain can't properly interpret what her eyes see. She has problems using her hands, and she is mildly retarded. 

If you or a loved one believes you have a birth injury or medical negligence/mistake case, call the lawyers at STSW for a free consultation.