A Georgia woman says she suffered "tremendous mental and physical anguish and trauma" after her baby was allegedly decapitated during delivery. Jessica Ross on Wednesday sued the hospital and various personnel involved in the July delivery of her son. FOX 5 Atlanta reports Ross, 20, went to Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale on July 9, but her vaginal delivery was complicated by a condition known as shoulder dystocia, where one or both of the baby's shoulders become stuck (the Cleveland Clinic notes there are no signs of the condition in advance and no ways to prevent it).
Per the suit, Dr. Tracey St. Julian tried to achieve a vaginal delivery by employing different methods, including applying traction to the baby's head. The AP reports, by way of the suit, that Ross says she requested a C-section but was denied, and that three hours passed before the doctor finally ordered one, at which time a heartbeat was no longer being detected by the fetal monitor. The suit alleges the baby's body and legs were delivered at 12:11am, while the head was delivered vaginally. The family claims they only learned of the decapitation from the funeral home: They say St. Julian didn't inform them of it and that they were told they couldn't receive a free autopsy and were pushed to opt for cremation.
CNN reports a rep for the family further alleges that when Ross and the father of the child, Treveon Taylor Sr., "demanded to see and hold their baby, hospital staff told them that they were not allowed to touch or hold their child. Hospital staff allowed the young couple to only view their dead child. During this viewing, their baby was wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped on top of his body in a manner such that those viewing him could not identify that he had been decapitated."
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Per the suit, the doctor "grossly" and "negligently applied excessive traction" on the infant's head and neck and "failed to do a cesarean section in a timely and proper manner," leading to the decapitation and death. "They were so excited about the birth of their first child," said attorney Cory Lynch, per the AP. "Unfortunately, their dreams and hopes turned into a nightmare that was covered up by Southern Regional Medical Center." The hospital has denied the allegations. The results of an autopsy that was conducted on the child, named Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., are pending. The Clayton County Police Department is also investigating. (More childbirth stories.)
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