New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
An experienced midwife has recently been charged for the manslaughter of an infant who was under her care. All the charges were ultimately dropped except for injuries and cruelty and carrying out medical procedures without a license to children.
The midwife received a sentence of four years, but most of it was suspended. The witness explained that this actually meant that she would probably be in jail for five days. She received a fine of $5,000 and is not permitted to practice midwifery or applying for a license for the next four years.
The doctor remarked that it was a victory that she saw the error of her ways. This is actually fairly unusual in these types of cases, with the guilty person still protesting their innocence.
The case relates to when the midwife was supervising a home delivery. The parents were initially receiving treatment from Birth Care. However, this clinic advised against a home delivery because the baby was in breach. The midwife was chosen so that the parents could still have a home delivery.
The midwife presented herself as an expert in complicated births. She did not have a license for midwifery in Virginia, however she was experienced. Court records show that she has supervised with over 1,000 births throughout her career.
This delivery became much more complicated than it was first thought. The head of the child became stuck. The baby was born around 15 minutes later but he did not have a heartbeat due to the medical malpractice.
The midwife managed to successfully resuscitate the baby. After some time she asked the parents to request further medical assistance. The baby was transferred to hospital by ambulance and died two days later as a result from the complications at the time of birth.
The midwifing community in brooklyn and Staten Island explained that this would put many midwives off accepting to supervise home births which were complicated in nature. There is even a Facebook page which has information about past successful births and many letters of support for the midwife.
If your child is injured when they are born then it could be caused by medical negligence. Talk to a New York Medical Malpractice Attorney today to find out whether or not you have a case. A New York Medical Malpractice Attorney will make suggestions depending on your unique case.