A woman has sued a Georgia hospital, claiming staff negligence led her baby to be decapitated as she was giving birth.
Jessica Ross, 20, filed the fraud and negligence lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center and the doctors and nurses responsible for delivering her baby.
The lawsuit states that in early July, Ross went into labor and her baby did not descend the vaginal canal “due to shoulder dystocia.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby’s shoulders get stuck during vaginal delivery. The suit claimed that the physician attempted to deliver the baby “using different methods including applying traction to the baby’s head.”
The couple alleges that the doctor “negligently applied excessive traction” on the baby’s head and “failed to do a Cesarean section in a timely and proper manner.” This resulted in the baby’s decapitation and death.
Ross’s attorney, Roderick Edmond, said that the baby’s head was delivered vaginally but its body and legs were removed afterward by C-section. The C-section took place three hours after Ross went into labor, much later than when the couple requested the procedure. The lawsuit details that the doctor waited until the baby’s heartbeat was no longer detected on the heartbeat monitor.
Staff did not tell Ross what had happened, and the couple did not find out until four days later.
Southern Regional Medical Center said in a statement on Thursday that patient privacy laws and HIPAA restrict the discussion of Ross and her baby’s procedure.
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“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event,” they said. “Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient.” The hospital also denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
The couple’s complaint requests a jury trial and compensatory damages as well as $10,000 to pay for the baby’s funeral.
