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A British man from Tipton, West Midland, United Kingdom, was awarded £6m, or $9.7 million USD, sources informed NY City Birth Injury Lawyers. The total amount of the award includes a lump sum payment of £2.75 million, and the court also ordered that he receive annual payments for the rest of his life for care and rehabilitation.
The lawsuit was brought against the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority for an incident that had occurred at the former Sandwell Maternity Hospital for their negligence at his delivery by the man’s mother. The suit alleged that as she lay in labor about to give birth to her son, the attending midwives detected an abnormal fetal heartbeat. The midwives immediately called for an obstetrician to attend, but after waiting for a certain time frame, the obstetrician did not show and the midwives were forced to deliver the baby themselves.
Although the Health Authority had previously admitted that, a physician should have been in attendance earlier, but would not have made a difference in the child’s condition. The court disagreed and ruled that the six additional minutes the baby was kept waiting was minutes that the baby’s brain was deprived of oxygen, which resulted in the baby’s development of cerebral palsy. Brain damage due to a baby’s lack of oxygen is a well-known cause of cerebral palsy, a New York Birth Injury Lawyer has learned.
Some of the causes for cerebral palsy include, but not limited to: 1) Lack of oxygen before, during, or after childbirth; 2) Brain damage due to lack of oxygen; 3) Complications during labor and delivery; and 4) Head injury.
Although the 23-year old man’s mother states that he has a genuine love for life and is very happy, she also says that he naturally becomes frustrated since he is unable to carry on with certain activities that we all seem to take for granted. Hospitals in Westchester County and Staten Island are aware of these tipoffs.
While the monetary award in this case will certainly assist this family in acquiring the medical care and equipment this young man will need for the rest of his life, nothing can ever replace the lives that have been affected as the result of someone’s negligence.
Was your baby born with a medical problem that is the result of a problem that medical personnel ignored your pleas for help? Contact a New York Birth Injury Attorney who has the expertise to assist in this very complex legal and medical area and will help you to pursue the necessary path to recovery.The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in NY City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.