Personal Injury Law

Negligent Hospital Misidentifies Infant Remains

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

This week the Houston Chronicle discussed an unfortunate hospital mistake that led to additional suffering for an already devastated family.

Amy Ramos was five months pregnant when she began have physical problems related to the pregnancy. She rushed to the hospital only to discover that the fetus was without a heartbeat. There was nothing that could be done to save the child. Mrs. Ramos was forced to undergo a surgical pregnancy the next day to remove the fetus. Amy and her husband Richard held a funeral service three days later with what they thought were the remains of their five month old fetus.

However, shortly after the service, the hospital discovered that they had never given the proper remains to the funeral home. Instead, an unidentified big toe was actually delivered and placed into what the family thought was the burial container.

Of course, news of the mix up only further agonized the grieving couple. The burial container had to be exhumed. The couple was then forced to have another service three days later with the proper remains, undergoing the painful process for the second time.

Patients and their families place immense trust in hospital employees to handle the most delicate and important parts of their lives. Besides quality health care, these medical facilities should also be held to a basic standard of responsible administration of affairs following tragic deaths. No family should have to endure the pain felt at losing an expected child. It is especially unconscionable for the suffering family to have their grieving processes upended by this careless hospital error.

Please contact our medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti any time that you have suffered at the hands of negligent conduct by hospitals aides, nurses, doctors, staff, or administrators. We are committed to putting our decades of legal experience in this area to ensure that your rights are protected.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on August 13, 2010 (boomark / email).