Recently the state of Ohio settled a significant prenatal negligence lawsuit. According to reports concerning the prenatal medical malpractice lawsuit, a 7-year-old girl, Julia Nored, was born with severe brain damage and quadriplegic cerebral palsy and was unable to speak, or use her arms or legs.
The prenatal claim alleged that the girl's mother, a prisoner at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, obtained negligent prenatal care while she was in prison. As the result of the negligent medical and prenatal care, the child was born with disabilities. While the prison admits no liability, the State agreed to settle the case for $2.5 million.
If you believe that you failed to receive competent prenatal care (did your doctor meet the appropriate standard of care?), it is critical to consult with a California birth injury attorney right away. An experienced birth injury lawyer can begin an investigation to determine if you received appropriate care, and whether the failure to receive proper care led to a birth injury.
Here, the woman – Marquietta Nored - was serving time for forgery when she gave birth to the child. However, throughout her pregnancy the mother failed to be treated for high blood pressure and did not receive any obstetrical care in the 11 weeks before her daughter was born. On the day Julia was born, Marquietta was diagnosed with eclampsia, a condition indicating that the placenta nourishing the fetus isn't receiving enough oxygen-rich blood and nutrients. The money recovered in the settlement will be placed in a trust for Julia's care.
Prenatal negligence can take a variety of forms, including the failure to provide critical screening tests, the failure to closely monitor a woman/fetus' health, and the failure to diagnose a condition or take the necessary corrective actions to reduce or even eliminate the possibility of a complication, and thereby greatly improve a child's quality of life.
For more information about prenatal negligence or if you believe that you or your child has been harmed as the result of inadequate or negligent care, please contact the experienced California prenatal negligence attorneys at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.