US couple sues doctor after baby decapitated during delivery
- Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Snr say Dr Tracey St. Julian used excessive force on their son’s neck and head when the child became stuck
- Hospital staff are accused of trying to cover up the incident by encouraging cremation and propping up the body to make it appear the head was still attached
A doctor used too much force and decapitated a Georgia woman’s baby during delivery, according to a lawsuit that lawyers said was filed on Wednesday.
The baby’s mother and father, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Snr, attended a news conference in Atlanta where their lawyers announced the lawsuit against Dr Tracey St. Julian and Southern Regional Medical Centre, a hospital in Riverdale, Georgia, where Ross went on July 9 to have her son. Riverdale is about 20km (13 miles) south of Atlanta.
“They were so excited about the birth of their first child,” said lawyer Cory Lynch. “Unfortunately, their dreams and hopes turned into a nightmare that was covered up by Southern Regional Medical Centre.”
Calls to St. Julian’s office went unanswered, and an email message was not immediately returned. Associated Press was not able to determine whether she had a lawyer.
Southern Regional said in statements it could not discuss treatment for particular patients due to privacy laws, but it denies the allegations against it. Its “heartfelt thoughts and prayers” were with Ross and Taylor and their care providers, it said.
“Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking,” the hospital said. It later added that St. Julian was not an employee of the hospital, and it had “taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation”.
