A young mother in a state outside New York was horrified when she saw her 19-month-old daughter put a remote control device in her mouth. A battery from the device fell out and the mother’s efforts to extract the battery from her child’s mouth proved unsuccessful. The child swallowed the button-shaped battery. Her parents have since filed a medical malpractice claim in connection with the incident.
As soon as the mother realized her daughter swallowed the battery, she called 911. However, she was shocked when a doctor at the emergency room told her the child was in no danger and nothing had to be done to remove the battery. The battery was indeed removed, but not until at least five hours later.
Since the incident, the parents of the young girl say their child is still unable to eat solid food. She has reportedly suffered multiple choking incidents due to injuries she suffered from having the battery inside her body for so long. They also say they’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on treatment for their daughter.
The parents blame substandard medical care for their daughter’s suffering. Their medical malpractice claim states their daughter suffered severe burns to her esophagus that may have been prevented if appropriate treatment had been given. Any New York parent whose child has suffered due to negligent medical care can file a similar claim by contacting a personal injury attorney in the area. In such situations, the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff; therefore, it is typically best to act alongside skilled representation to achieve a favorable outcome in court.
Source: jacksonville.com, “Parents sue Wolfson Children’s Hospital over treatment after daughter swallowed battery“, Larry Hannan, Dec. 21, 2016
