Wrongful Death
Baby’s death draws attention to protocols at hospital in Indiana
When a child passes away unexpectedly, parents deserve answers. If it turns out that negligence or errors played a role in the child’s death, then it’s within the parents’ rights to seek justice by asking for the doctor or medical team to be held accountable for their actions.
In this case reported on Nov. 21, that’s what happened. The state Medical Examining Board determined that an obstetrician should be disciplined for the death of a baby girl. She was delivered at Greenwich Hospital in 2015.
At the time, the board claims that the doctor did not make an appropriate assessment about the child’s wellbeing. As a result, she didn’t order an ultrasound of the girl or her twin brother. During three hours of labor and delivery, the board claims that the doctor didn’t monitor the baby’s heart rate accurately. The doctor did not agree to that assessment, but has agreed to always take an ultrasound when performing a delivery.
The board fined the obstetrician $5,000 in connection with the child’s death, a move that the mother did not agree with. The mother claims that the fine isn’t sufficient compared to the harm. Her wrongful-death lawsuit against the hospital and doctor claims that the doctor didn’t monitor the child’s heartbeat and failed to deliver her by emergency Cesarean section when it was required. The lawsuit claims the hospital doesn’t have proper procedures for the delivery of twins and led to the child going without oxygen and dying. The family’s wrongful-death lawsuit is still in progress at this time.
Source: Courant, “Med Board Fines Doctor $5,000 Following Infant’s Death, Disciplines Four Others,” Kate Farrish, Nov. 21, 2017
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