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A Georgia mother has filed a lawsuit alleging her child was decapitated during delivery.
On Wednesday (August 9), an attorney for 20-year-old Jessica Ross and her boyfriend, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., announced the lawsuit against Southern Regional Medical Center, where the alleged "nightmare" incident unfolded, WSB-TV reports.
“This is one of the most sad, egregious, and horrific situations that I’ve ever seen,” attorney Dr. Roderick Edmond said. “Their hopes turned into a nightmare that was covered up by the Southern Regional Medical Center.”
On July 9, Ross had been in labor for 10 hours at Southern Regional Medical Center when her baby got stuck, according to the lawsuit. Her physician, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, who is also named in the suit, allegedly attempted to pull the baby out for hours.
Doctors “pulled on the baby’s head and neck so hard and manipulated them so hard, that the bones in the baby’s skull, head and neck were broken,” the lawsuit states.
According to the suit, doctors later performed a C-section and found the baby decapitated. The couple claims medical staff attempted to cover up the decapitation by telling them they didn't have access to a free autopsy and encouraging cremation.
When the pair asked to see the child, doctors "propped the baby’s head on top of the blanket to make it appear like the head was attached when it wasn’t,” Edmond said.
The family said they didn't find out the truth about what happened until they visited a funeral home, four days after Ross went into labor.
In response to the suit, Southern Regional Medical Center said it was “unable to discuss the care and treatment of specific patients” due to patient privacy laws.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event,” the hospital said in a statement. “Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient. Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking.”
According to WSB-TV, Clayton County police have opened an investigation into the case.
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