A lawsuit filed Wednesday in an Atlanta-area court claims health professionals incorrectly delivered a baby resulting in a decapitation, then tried to cover it up.
The negligence and fraud suit filed in Clayton County, Georgia, names several defendants, including Southern Regional Medical Center, a doctor, several nurses and the medical group at large, according to a statement from the law firm Edmond & Lindsay, LLP.
According to the complaint, 20-year-old Jessica Ross was giving birth July 9 when the baby’s shoulders got stuck in the vaginal canal.
A doctor allegedly performed a cesarean section too late and applied “excessive tension” on the baby’s head, causing it to detach from the body, the lawsuit alleges.
The law firm also said the doctor did not immediately tell the mother and father, Treveon Isaiah Taylor, what happened.
Instead, the hospital staff allegedly refused to let the couple hold the baby after death. They showed the parents the baby wrapped tightly in a blanket with the head propped on top, the statement said.
Additionally, the couple claims in the lawsuit they were pressured by staff to cremate the remains. They were told an autopsy wasn’t warranted.
The couple reportedly didn’t learn about the decapitation until four days after delivery.
“This caused immediate, profound emotional and mental anguish for (the plaintiffs) … emotional and mental anguish that they continue to experience and most probably will experience for the rest of their lives,” the complaint says.
The suit calls for a jury trial, CNN reported. The complaint asks for compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to recovering the $10,000 cost of their son’s funeral and burial.
A representative from Southern Regional Medical Center said they are unable to discuss the treatment of specific patients due to health privacy laws, according to a statement from the hospital system.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event. Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking,” the statement said.