Cerebral Palsy Malpractice Settlement in Ireland Provides 4.25 Million Euros for Young Girl

A 7-year-old girl with cerebral palsy has reached a settlement with a hospital in Dublin, over claims that her condition was caused by medical mistakes during her birth. The cerebral palsy malpractice lawsuit settled for 4.25 million euros, which is the equivalent of over $5.5 million in U.S. dollars.

Michael and Sabrina Stynes, the parents of Grace Stynes, sued the Coombe Women’s Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The case alleged that the hospital mismanaged the birth when the mother went into labor on February 10, 2001, leaving the child in a wheelchair and with a permanent disability that requires language and speech therapy as well as other extensive medical treatment.

According to information provided to the justice who approved the settlement, the hospital committed a series of errors that caused the child’s brain to be deprived of oxygen at a critical stage in the birth. The hospital failed to closely monitor the mother and acted indifferent to an early request from the father for a caesarean section, which could have prevented the traumatic brain injury caused by the use of forceps during the delivery.

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that is caused by irreparable damage to the brain before, during or immediately after birth and impairs movement control and muscle coordination. It is a chronic disability for which there is no cure, and often requires substantial medical expenses throughout the life of the child.

In a few hundred cases each year, cerebral palsy is found to be caused by medical negligence or birth injuries which could have been prevented with the proper exercise of care by hospitals, doctors and nurses.

A similar cerebral palsy malpractice lawsuit in Washington earlier this month resulted in a $4.25 million verdict against Evergreen Hospital Medical Center for a young girl who suffered a brain injury due to negligence during the delivery.

In that case, the court found that an unnecessary delay in the delivery a the hospital caused the baby’s brain to be deprived of oxygen, resulting in the life-long disability. The verdict included $350,000 for the child’s past medical expenses, $2.5 million to cover future expenses expected to be associated with her disability over the rest of her life, and $1.4 million for pain and suffering.