Malpractice award will allow woman to care for her disabled son

When large medical malpractice verdicts hit the news, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that there is almost always a monetary reason behind why the award was so high.

Take, for example, a recent case out of another state involving a single mom and her child. The woman, who gave birth at the age of 29, delivered a child with severe brain damage and resulting developmental disabilities after a birth experience gone awry.

According to reports, when the woman arrived at the hospital, testing revealed that her child was not moving. The woman and her legal team argued to a jury that at that point, her caregivers should have proceeded to an emergency C-Section.

Unfortunately, by the time doctors and nurses delivered the baby, the boy had suffered severe injuries related to the complicated childbirth. As a consequence, he never developed the ability to speak or walk, and he will not be able to care for himself.

After hearing evidence, the jury awarded the woman $109 million to compensate her for her son's permanent disability, which the jury concluded happened because of the professional negligence of the woman's labor and delivery team.

Because of a prior agreement between the woman and the hospital, the woman will actually receive a $50 million payout even though the jury said she was entitled to more. The woman said she plans to use the money to bring her son home from his current placement at a full-time care facility because she now can afford to devote all of her attention to his ongoing support.

For whatever reason, it happens all too frequently that doctors are unwilling to make split decisions about C-Sections, even though doing so is often critical to protecting a newborn's health. If a Tucson resident feels that his or her child suffered a birth injury because medical professionals were negligent during the labor and delivery process, legal options may be available.