After a three-week long trial, a Baltimore family was recently awarded $55 million. Jurors involved in the medical malpractice case agreed that the negligent care one mother was given left her son with severe developmental disorders.
The boy's mother originally intended to give birth at her home with the help of a midwife. However, when the baby became stuck, the mother was brought by ambulance to John Hopkins Hospital. Doctors ordered a cesarean section but the emergency procedure did not take place until two hours later. The family believes their son will never have a normal life because of the hospital staff's delayed action.
Officials with John Hopkins Hospital maintain that hospital staff provided appropriate care. They say they plan to appeal the jury's decision.
When people in Baltimore go to the hospital, they expect that they will receive proper care and treatment. Part of that means receiving treatment in a timely manner. Certain medical conditions are time sensitive. Several minutes or hours may be the difference between life and death.
Medical treatments and long-term care can be costly. Although the Baltimore family will forever be forced to deal with their son's developmental disorders, the compensation they are awarded through the malpractice lawsuit should help alleviate any financial burdens.
Baltimore residents who have been harmed due to a doctor's negligent care may also consider filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. Doctors and other medical professionals have a duty to provide their patients with appropriate care. When they fail to do that, they should be held responsible.
