The parents of a newborn, who died months after her birth, are suing a Florida hospital. They allege that a hospital worker broke the baby’s neck, which ultimately led to her death.
The infant, Jahxy Peets, was born prematurely at 24 weeks in June 2022 at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. After her birth, she was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator.
About two weeks later, the lawsuit claims that Jahxy was discovered with a broken neck. This spinal cord injury left her paralyzed and unable to breathe on her own. Tragically, she died from her injuries in November 2022. The lawsuit states that a hospital worker caused the neck injury, then returned Jahxy to her incubator without informing anyone.
The lawsuit claims, “This type of spinal cord injury could not occur without the use of excessive force when handling a newborn.” It also notes that there is no record of the incident in the hospital’s medical files, nor any indication that an investigation was conducted to identify the responsible individual. The parents allege that Jahxy’s injury was either overlooked or not reported, suggesting an attempt to cover up what happened.
Jahxy’s parents, Gianna Lopera and Jamiah Peets, expressed their desire for answers at a press conference on Monday. Lopera stated, “Every parent whose baby is born at Winnie Palmer deserves to know what happened to Jahxy. By covering it up, they are leaving room for it to happen again.”
Lopera, visibly emotional, shared the profound impact of losing her daughter. “I never got a chance to hear my daughter cry. She never got to meet her siblings or family. We never celebrated a single milestone. We only held her four times in her entire life,” she said.
In response to the lawsuit, a hospital spokesperson told ABC News that they cannot discuss specific medical cases publicly. However, they emphasized that caring for extremely premature babies is complex and emotional for everyone involved.
“We offer our deepest sympathies to this family, and to any family who suffers the loss of a child. But we believe that those who provide care in this environment should be judged based on facts, not speculation. We look forward to discussing the facts of this case in the appropriate forum,” the spokesperson stated.
The parents are seeking a jury trial for their case.
Related Topics:
