Jury Awards $21 Million to Alabama Mom Who Lost Newborn Baby After Missed Diagnosis

Hirschsprung's Disease Lakeisha Oliver Jaquarius Smith alabama mom Alabama Jury

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Nov 07, 01:23 am

Photo: (Photo : NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)

A mom from Alabama won a massive $21 million verdict against two doctors and a nurse practitioner working at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery after her 14-day-old son died from an undiagnosed bowel disease in 2015.

According to court documents, Lakeisha Oliver gave birth on November 4, 2015, to Jaquarius Smith at Jackson Hospital. The infant struggled to pass his first bowel movement, with the newborn showing other signs of Hirschsprung's Disease. That happens to a child when the nerves in the colon do not develop properly.

Doctors examined the baby and X-rayed him to find out what was wrong. According to the complaint, doctors still decided to send him home without a diagnosis. They did include a note saying that colonic obstruction should be considered, AL.com reported.

Baby developed sepsis after missed Hirschsprung's Disease diagnosis

When baby Jaquarius left the hospital, he was not eating well. He also had a swollen stomach and abnormal bloodwork before departing the hospital. According to Oliver, she took her son back to the hospital on November 13 and again on November 15.

Nurse practitioner Lester Sutton examined and discharged the infant on November 15, with Dr. Richard Sample signing off on his plan. Oliver and her child returned to the hospital the following day, and Dr. Steve Avezzano admitted Smith for observation.

The baby had already developed sepsis, which happens when a person's body develops an extreme reaction to an infection. Shay Samples, the attorney who represented the mom, said the baby's organs started failing before doctors called to transfer Smith to the Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

Samples said that a helicopter transported the baby to Children's after staff at Jackson Hospital spent five hours stabilizing Smith. He added that the doctors did emergency surgery on Smith and found that he had a gangrenous bowel.

Smith died at 14 days old, with an autopsy revealing a diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease

Oliver's son died at 14 days old despite their efforts. An autopsy performed on Smith after his death showed a diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease. The illness affects the colon and is more common in male infants than in females.

According to the Mayo Clinic, most babies suffering from Hirschsprung's Disease survive after surgery to remove the affected part of the intestine. The condition is present at Smith's birth due to missing nerve cells in the muscles of his colon.

The contents caused blockages in Smith's bowel as they can't go through the colon without the nerve cells stimulating his gut muscles. A newborn baby with this disease usually can't have a bowel movement in the days following birth.

Members of the jury ruled against Sample, Sutton, and Avezzano, in the decision.