Louisiana Mother Files Malpractice Lawsuit on Disabled Son’s Behalf

A medical malpractice lawsuit was recently filed in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court by a Louisiana mother claiming that the long-term residential treatment facility responsible for the care of her profoundly disabled son repeatedly engaged in gross medical negligence leading to serious harm and multiple instances of hospitalization.

Among the allegations contained in the suit is the assertion that a change in management at the facility has led to a sharp decline in the standard of care being provided.

Plaintiff alleges reduction in quality of care

According to the complaint, the plaintiff in this case is the mother of a minor male child suffering from Cri du chat syndrome. The boy is is unable to walk, talk or see. Cri du chat syndrome is a blanket term for a series of developmental issues arising from abnormalities in chromosome number 5. Due to the significant level of care necessitated by his illness, the boy has long resided at Padua House, a pediatric facility specifically designed to treat severely disabled youth.

The plaintiff alleges that her son’s health had remained quite good at the facility for several years, until a change in facility administration in October of 2012 marked a definite shift for the worse. Assertions contained in the lawsuit suggest that the child’s health status began to deteriorate noticeably and that neglect on the part of facility staff was evident.

Emergency hospitalizations, illnesses blamed on neglect

In this lawsuit, the plaintiff states that her son has had to be rushed to the hospital four different times due to critical illnesses, all of which she believes can be attributed to medical negligence on the part of his caregivers. In March of 2013, the boy experienced an apneic episode necessitating positive pressure ventilation. After being transported to a hospital facility, the child was diagnosed with severe sepsis/septicemia as well as hypothermia. As a result, he spent roughly a week in the pediatric intensive care unit under heat lamp treatment. Sepsis, a condition characterized by a bacterial infection of the blood, is an extremely serious circumstance which can quickly become life-threatening without proper treatment.

Adding insult to injury, the plaintiff states that a Padua House physician claims that her records show that she had, in fact, examined the boy on March 27. However, on that date, he remained in the hospital under the care of its staff, making such an exam impossible. In addition, the plaintiff argues that her son has suffered serious urinary tract infections requiring emergency treatment and hospitalization on four distinct occasions. She alleges that each incident can be linked to neglect and malpractice on the part of the defendant physician and healthcare facility.

As a result of the alleged mistreatment and medical malpractice to which her disabled son has been subjected, the plaintiff is seeking damages in an unspecified amount for the child’s mental anguish, physical pain and suffering, medical expenses as well as for her own mental trauma and familial disruption.

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