Immediate Past President Molly H. Craig, a partner at Hood Law Firm, LLC, obtained a defense verdict following a five day medical malpractice trial in Florence County, South Carolina.
Plaintiff alleged the Defendant physician was negligent during the Plaintiff’s labor and delivery which caused the baby to sustain severe and permanent injury to his brachial plexus nerves. During the delivery, the child’s anterior shoulder did not deliver signifying a “shoulder dystocia.” According to the Plaintiff, the physician applied excessive traction in an attempt to deliver the baby resulting in permanent nerve damage involving C5, C6, C7, and C8.
The defense proved that shoulder dystocia is a medical emergency which was properly managed by the Defendant physician. In fact, within four minutes of recognizing the shoulder dystocia, the physician was able to successfully deliver the baby. The jury returned a defense verdict finding that the physician did not deviate from the standard of care.