Florida Child Suffers From Cerebral Palsy & Jury Awards $10 Million in Damages

Volusia County, Florida resident Margaret Shivers Chess gave birth to a prematurely born boy who weighed only 1.7 pounds at birth.  The little boy is now six years old and suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a debilitating birth injury. 

But justice felt his pain on April 1st of this past year when a jury found the company that delivered him, EVAC, to be guilty of negligence. 

Chess, the little boy's mother, went into labor while being transported between two Florida hospitals.  The emergency transport service, EVAC, helped deliver the baby.  But now Chess has had her day in court, alleging that EVAC recklessly disregarded her infant's needs, and such improper treatment is what actually caused the child's cerebral palsy. 

But the company isn't going down without a fight.  EVAC alleges that every action it took was simply to follow the doctor's orders.  Whether or not this is sufficient is still in question.  The company also stands alone in court because all of the attending physicians have now settled with Chess, leaving only EVAC to fight this charge.

EVAC also pointed out that the mother may not have disclosed all necessary information to treat her properly.  The attorneys for the company are going to appeal the verdict of guilty that they believe came out of sheer sympathy for the child.  The total damages awarded were approximately $10 million. 

This could equal a grave procedural future for emergency transport companies.  Thousands of children are suffering from Cerebral Palsy because they were improperly handled and treated at birth.  If a child you love has suffered due to a situation similar to this one, we urge you to give anyone of our child injury lawyers a call.  Based out of Kansas City, Missouri, we have years of both professional and personal experience in this difficult arena of law, and we are well prepared to fight for the justice and compensation that your child deserves.