Birth Injury Claim Ends in $11 Million Settlement for Mother

A recent birth injury claim ends in victory for claimants as a Bucks County jury awarded a mother $11 million for the injuries she suffered after the birth of her second child. Bucks County Courier Times reports that the birth injury lawsuit resulted in one of the largest medical malpractice settlements awarded in Bucks County Court in the past several years.

According to the birth injury claim, Dr. Keren Hancock of Stoneridge Obstetrics & Gynecology and their associates were ordered to pay the family for the debilitating injuries she reportedly suffered from the delivery.

According to the claim, plaintiff Stephanie G. requested a C-section due to the difficulty of her first child’s delivery, but her request was allegedly ignored.

Overview of Birth Injury Lawsuit

The birth injury claim was filed in August 2013 and stated Stephanie’s first baby was born in 2008 with shoulder dystocia when the infant’s shoulder became wedged in her birth canal. Stephanie reportedly suffered third-degree lacerations from the delivery, which were documented in detail on her medical records by Dr. Hancock and other physicians of Stoneridge Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The lawsuit goes on further to say that she developed other complications during her second pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes during the sixth or seventh month.

Due to this condition, she says she had to undergo stress tests during the last two months of her pregnancy and had stated to the doctors that a C-section was “necessary” because her first child had a large birth weight of 9.9lbs with shoulder dystocia.

The lawsuit states that the day her second child was born on July 21, 2011, she again requested a C-section and pointed out the difficulty of her first delivery and feared something similar would happen to her second child.

However, Dr. Hancock and the other physicians allegedly opted for a vaginal delivery. The lawsuit further alleged “(the baby) was stuck in the birth canal and not coming out.” The infant reportedly weighed 9.8lbs and was not breathing when born.

While the baby recovered, Stephanie reportedly suffered lacerations but was not informed of the severity of the injury. She was reportedly discharged while “in excruciating pain” and was incontinent. Stephanie reportedly continues to have problems, with a specialist telling her she will need surgery in the future.

Stephanie’s lawsuit ultimately alleges Dr. Hancock, as well as other Stoneridge medical staff, were negligent in her delivery and ignored obvious signs of stress.

Birth injuries are often described as infants suffering physical or mental impairments after delivery, due to issues like getting stuck in the birth canal or other problems that can arise during delivery.

While some birth injuries are temporary or cannot be avoided, this is not the case where there is medical malpractice. According to Forbes, medical malpractice occurs when the doctor or other medical professionals fail to take proper precautions, for example, taking note of the stress of the mother or infant during the delivery. This can lead to a number of serious injuries for both the mother and infant, including lacerations that can cause permanent gynecological injuries.

Stephanie further alleges that they did not listen to her explicit request for a C-section, even though her medical records indicated she had given birth to a large infant in the past that had caused her major birth injuries.

The jury reportedly awarded Stephanie $500,000 for future medical expenses and $10.5 million “in pain and suffering, disfigurement, embarrassment, humiliation,” after a five-hour deliberation and a seven day trial period.