DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A Macon County jury awarded a family $17.1 million Tuesday in a wrongful death lawsuit after their infant son died in 2019.
Attorneys for Colton and Hannah Bayless said the family's son Oliver suffered injuries during childbirth in May 2018 and the injuries resulted in his death in February 2019.
Oliver Bayless (Photo provided by Colton Bayless)
The lawsuit stemmed around care that Hannah received from Dr. Derin Rominger and his practice group, Women's Health Care Specialists of Decatur, during her pregnancy and Oliver's birth.
Attorneys for the family argued that doctors didn't follow American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines when Hannah was diagnosed with gestational hypertension. When labor was induced, they claim Oliver's condition warranted expedited delivery that was ignored. Attorneys said Oliver was born with a catastrophic brain injury that led to his death.
“This verdict represents some measure of justice for Oliver, Hannah and Colton," said family attorney Ted Jennings. "It means the world to Hannah and Colton that the jury stood with them on behalf of Oliver.”
WAND News contacted the defense team for comment, but hasn't heard back.
The case was first opened in 2020.
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