$10 Million Awarded in Ambulance Birth

An ambulance service was hit with a $10 million verdict by an Orlando, Florida jury who found it at fault in connection with the premature birth of a child. The mother gave birth to her son in the ambulance while on her way to the hospital. The child, who is now six years old, weighed only 1.7 pounds at birth and suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain, leaving him with cerebral palsy.

The original lawsuit included Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach and two more doctors for their role in the case. Both the hospitals settled with the Plaintiff for a total of $1.4 million.

The expectant mother went to Bert Fish Medical Center because she was suffering from pain and premature labor, but the ER doctor had planned for her to be treated at Halifax but an ambulance was told to go to the wrong hospital. The baby was born about 15 minutes into the trip and had trouble breathing, and so they performed CPR.