In November 2008, Mirella and Abel were in the hospital, and their daughter Ashley was about to arrive. As sometimes happens, the baby was coming quickly, and Mirella’s doctor was not able to make it to the delivery. Still, this should have been a wonderful moment for this family.

Unfortunately, a tragic nursing error changed this family’s life forever.

All expectant parents anxiously await their babies’ first cries as they enter the world. But Mirella and Abel did not hear anything when their daughter was born. The labor and delivery nurse dropped Ashley as soon as she was born, and the baby’s head hit a bucket. The nurse’s mistake led to what was later diagnosed as a skull fracture and a hematoma.

Although the nurses briefly let the parents see Ashley after the delivery, the baby was kept away from them for nearly two days afterward. A neurologist at the hospital reported that she seemed fine during that time, but he said that the head injury could lead to other issues at any point.

To this day, no one will tell the family exactly what went wrong during the delivery. Abel and Mirella say that they are afraid to have another child because they don’t want something like this to happen again.

The family’s attorney has requested medical records many times over the past two years but to no avail. Now, Mirella and Abel are suing the hospital for medical malpractice and negligence. Hopefully their struggle will not be in vain. The nurse responsible for Ashley’s injuries as well as the hospital administrators who are covering it up need to be held accountable for their actions.

Source: WSOCTV.com, “Family Sues Hospital, Says Infant Was Dropped During Delivery,” Sept. 6, 2011