A lawsuit has been filed against a hospital in Orlando following serious allegations that staff members caused a newborn’s neck to be broken and attempted to conceal the incident.
A legal action was initiated on Thursday, detailing an event that took place in June 2022 at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.
Court documents reveal that Gianna Lopera, the mother, delivered her child, Jahxy Peets, through an emergency C-section at just 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Following the incident, Jahxy was placed on a ventilator and transferred to the NICU, with no signs of any trauma related to the birth, according to the legal complaint.
Approximately two weeks later, the neurosurgery department was brought in to address a “concern for abnormal tone of her upper extremities,” according to court records.
“An MRI of the cervical spine was performed, which showed cord signal abnormality, enlargement and presumed hemorrhage involving portions of the cervical and thoracic cord,” the lawsuit reads. “To put it simply, Jahxy Peet’s neck had been broken.”
The legal action asserts that the spinal cord injury sustained by Jahxy was a direct result of excessive force used during her handling, despite the absence of any supporting documentation in her medical records regarding such an incident.
The lawsuit further states that Jahxy’s medical records lack any indication of an investigation aimed at identifying and holding accountable those responsible for the injury.
“This traumatic event was either not recognized or was not reported, and it appears from the records that an attempt to cover up the cause of Jaxy’s injury was made, as there is no mention of a precipitating event in the medical record,” the lawsuit adds.
The lawsuit states that due to the injury, Jahxy suffered paralysis and lost the ability to breathe independently. She passed away in November 2022.
Her parents are now alleging that the hospital’s negligence led to Jahxy’s tragic passing.
Read More: ‘Bring to justice:’ Orlando hospital accused of breaking newborn’s neck, trying to hide it