RIVERDALE, Ga. — A couple is suing a hospital in Riverdale, Georgia, after they say their doctor decapitated their baby during the birth.
Jessica Ross, 20, went into labor with her first child on July 9 at Southern Regional Medical Center, according to WSB-TV. The lawsuit alleges there were multiple “missteps” taken and that there was some kind of cover-up of the incident.
“This is one of the most sad, egregious, and horrific situations that I’ve ever seen,” the family’s attorney Dr. Roderick Edmond said, according to WSB. “Their hopes turned into a nightmare that was covered up by the Southern Regional Medical Center.”
The lawsuit claims that after about 10 hours of labor, the baby was stuck and the doctor, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, tried to pull the baby out for hours.
According to the lawsuit obtained by WSB, the doctor pulled the baby’s head “so hard and manipulated than so hard that the bones in the baby’s skull, head and neck were broken.” Hours later, a C-section was performed and the baby was found to be decapitated. The lawsuit claims that the doctors tried to cover up what happened by reportedly telling the parents they could not get a free autopsy, had encouraged cremation, and had not said what happened.
“When they wrapped the baby up tightly, they 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, according to the news outlet.
The hospital said, according to WSB, that they cannot discuss what happened due to patient privacy laws. They said their prayers are with the family and the team that cared for the patient.