ATLANTA, GA – By all accounts, Treveon Taylor and Jessica Ross were excited to become parents. On July 9th, Jessica's water broke, and they rushed to the hospital to welcome their son to the world. Roughly 12 hours later, their son was dead, and they were left without answers.
A month later, the couple has announced a lawsuit for gross negligence against the Southern Regional Medical Center and Dr. Tracey St. Julian, after a funeral home flagged the cause of death as a beheading.
During the labor process, the baby stopped descending the birth canal due to shoulder dystocia, and his shoulders could not fit through the pelvic bone. The lawsuit says that Dr. St. Julian attempted multiple methods to turn the baby and continue the natural child birth process. One of those methods was applied traction to the boy’s head.
According to attorneys for the couple, “Dr. St. Julian came in, and in the process of trying to deliver this baby, pulled on the head and neck so hard, and manipulated them so hard, that the bones in the baby’s skull face and neck were broken.”
The decision was eventually made to perform a Cesarean section surgery to deliver the baby. Ross’s lawyers said that the baby’s legs and torso were delivered via that abdominal opening, but the head was still in the birth canal and shortly after the c-section, it was delivered vaginally.
When the expectant parents asked to hold their son, they said that he was tightly wrapped in a blanket with this his head propped against his body to create the appearance of being intact.
The New York Post reported that the doctor and hospital staff are alleged to have failed to disclose the beheading to the couple.
The lawsuit further claims that the hospital staff discouraged the couple from getting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. They also reportedly told them to have the baby cremated rather than going to a funeral home.
What the family believes to have been a beheading was never reported to authorities, attorney Cory Lynch told reporters at the news conference. “They did everything in their power to not let the family know what happened,” Lynch said.
The lawsuit also claims that Dr. St. Julian applied excessive force to the child’s head and was also grossly negligent in not performing a timely and proper c-section delivery.
The Post pointed to a statement from the hospital, given to Fox News Digital: “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event. Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient.
“While our sympathies go out to the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations in the Complaint referencing the hospital. Since this matter is in litigation, we cannot provide additional statements. As far as Dr. St Julian, she is not an employee of the hospital. The hospital has taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation.”
The fact that St. Julian is not an employee of the hospital was also highlighted by the family’s attorneys when they stated that she was also negligent by not calling the on-call, staff obstetrician for consultation, assistance or direction.
A month later, the couple has announced a lawsuit for gross negligence against the Southern Regional Medical Center and Dr. Tracey St. Julian, after a funeral home flagged the cause of death as a beheading.
During the labor process, the baby stopped descending the birth canal due to shoulder dystocia, and his shoulders could not fit through the pelvic bone. The lawsuit says that Dr. St. Julian attempted multiple methods to turn the baby and continue the natural child birth process. One of those methods was applied traction to the boy’s head.
According to attorneys for the couple, “Dr. St. Julian came in, and in the process of trying to deliver this baby, pulled on the head and neck so hard, and manipulated them so hard, that the bones in the baby’s skull face and neck were broken.”
The decision was eventually made to perform a Cesarean section surgery to deliver the baby. Ross’s lawyers said that the baby’s legs and torso were delivered via that abdominal opening, but the head was still in the birth canal and shortly after the c-section, it was delivered vaginally.
When the expectant parents asked to hold their son, they said that he was tightly wrapped in a blanket with this his head propped against his body to create the appearance of being intact.
The New York Post reported that the doctor and hospital staff are alleged to have failed to disclose the beheading to the couple.
The lawsuit further claims that the hospital staff discouraged the couple from getting an autopsy to determine the cause of death. They also reportedly told them to have the baby cremated rather than going to a funeral home.
What the family believes to have been a beheading was never reported to authorities, attorney Cory Lynch told reporters at the news conference. “They did everything in their power to not let the family know what happened,” Lynch said.
The lawsuit also claims that Dr. St. Julian applied excessive force to the child’s head and was also grossly negligent in not performing a timely and proper c-section delivery.
The Post pointed to a statement from the hospital, given to Fox News Digital: “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those impacted by this tragic event. Our prayers also remain with the dedicated team of physicians, nurses and staff at Southern Regional Medical Center who cared for this patient.
“While our sympathies go out to the family, Southern Regional Medical Center denies the allegations in the Complaint referencing the hospital. Since this matter is in litigation, we cannot provide additional statements. As far as Dr. St Julian, she is not an employee of the hospital. The hospital has taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation.”
The fact that St. Julian is not an employee of the hospital was also highlighted by the family’s attorneys when they stated that she was also negligent by not calling the on-call, staff obstetrician for consultation, assistance or direction.
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