When a child is hurt, it’s important that he or she is taken care of. Many parents turn to medical providers for help. They rush to emergency rooms, hurry to private practices and call nurse hotlines with frantic requests.

The most horrifying thing for a parent to find out is that delays in service or misdiagnoses have led to their children suffering serious injuries. In those cases, the parents are well within their rights to file a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of their children. Children are vulnerable, and they rely on their parents and those around them to support and care for them effectively. That’s why this case is so important.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected a children’s hospital appeal for a verdict that will cost the hospital $11.3 million. According to the news from Oct. 11, the court has decided not to hear the appeal from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The hospital appealed a finding that its medical team had not promptly diagnosed a case of meningitis in an 11-month-old child.

The mother of the child claimed that the delay in the diagnosis ended up costing her son his hearing and left him unable to speak due to brain damage. He was misdiagnosed several times in December 2009. Medical experts testified on the child’s behalf that a timely diagnosis would have saved him from significant harm, including the loss of his hearing or speech.

The hospital claimed the award was grossly excessive, but the court rejected the appeal and is allowing the award to stand. In this situation, the mother and her child will receive the award needed to care for the child as he grows.

Source: PennLive, “Pa. Supreme Court rejects children’s hospital’s appeal of $11.3M medical malpractice verdict,” Matt Miller, Oct. 11, 2017