Birth Injuries from Medical Malpractice Can Create a Lifetime of Financial and Emotional Challenges for Victims and Their Families
“What most people fail to understand with a severe birth injury is how much the medical costs will be for a family to care for their child. If their child has cerebral palsy, for example, this can cost upwards of millions of dollars for the proper care and treatment.“ - Dr. Bruce Fagel.
In the past decade or so the amount of money needed to care for a child suffering from injuries sustained by neglect and malpractice during childbirth is rising at an astronomical level. The mental distress associated with caring for a child bearing disabilities, whether physical or mental, is also seldom taken into consideration by those who cause the pain due to neglect. A major condition caused by delivery neglect is Cerebral Palsy. “Cerebral palsy may be caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, birth trauma, delivery mistakes, premature delivery, and certain infections.”
Lerato Leba, mother of a five-year-old son suffering from cerebral palsy is expected to collect $5.5 million or $731,050.52 USD from the hospital that she blames for her son's condition. Leba was turned away when she first went into labor only to return the next day before she was taken seriously. After 17 hours of excruciating natural labor and numerous requests for a caesarian birth, Leba gave birth to her son who had obvious fetal trauma. The baby was delivered in a severely compromised state which should have been recognized by the nurses. From the negligence of the hospital staff, a baby boy with cerebral palsy and a life of emotional and financial distress to the family had blossomed.
