The birth of a child is one of the most eagerly anticipated events in anyone’s life. The hope is that the baby will be born healthy, but sadly this is not always the case in Maryland or elsewhere. A recent case of a baby born in another state resulted in a medical malpractice case that originated when a cancer treatment was reportedly improperly administered.
A few months after the child’s birth, the baby girl was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The prescribed treatment included chemotherapy administered via spinal injection. Following one such treatment, the child’s mother became concerned when the infant became fussy and was not moving her legs. A doctor’s examination revealed that the baby had suffered a spinal cord injury causing partial paralysis.
An investigation revealed that the treatment had been administered at a higher position along the spine than would typically be carried out on such a young patient. Experts stated that administering the injection at the higher position was dangerous in one so young. The girl has undergone multiple surgeries and will probably require more in order to achieve improved mobility. She is unable to walk and is at an age where she wants to run and play with other children but is unable to. The lawsuit was recently settled for $10 million.
It is impossible to put a price on the value of a person’s health. When the person affected is one’s child, the pain of seeing the child suffer can be indescribable. This becomes even harder to deal with when the cause of the injury may have been preventable. If there is evidence that an injury may have been caused by negligence, a medical malpractice lawsuit may be a viable option in Maryland.