TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about stillbirth and infant loss, which may be triggering to some.
What was supposed to be a joyous time in the life of a young Georgia couple has turned into a horrendous tragedy after medical staff were reportedly negligent in the delivery of their child. Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr. claim the doctor decapitated their baby during childbirth.
To add insult to injury, the hospital reportedly tried to cover the whole thing up. Now, the police are investigating and the couple is suing the hospital.
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The mother and her boyfriend are suing the doctor and nurses involved.
Ross and Taylor announced earlier this week that they are suing Prime Healthcare Service, which operates the Southern Regional Medical Center where their child was delivered, according to Law & Crime. The couple also is suing the doctor and nurses involved in the delivery.
A plaintiff statement described the nature of the suit: “20-year-old Jessica Ross and her boyfriend Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr. were eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child July 9 but were devastated to learn that not only did their baby not survive the delivery, he was tragically decapitated in the process.”
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The doctor applied excessive force after the baby's shoulders got stuck in the vaginal canal, the suit claims.
Ross and Taylor named their late son Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr. According to the lawsuit, Taylor Jr.’s shoulders got stuck in the vaginal canal. Ross pushed for three hours without delivery. During that time, the obstetrician “negligently applied excessive force on the baby’s head and neck during the attempted vaginal delivery,” causing decapitation, the plaintiff statement continued.
The hospital identified the couple’s doctor as Tracey L. St. Julian. The couple is suing her and the nurses for failing to do a C-section in a timely manner and for failing to call for help in a timely manner. At the end of the delivery, the baby’s legs and torso were removed from Ross’ torso via C-section and the baby’s head was delivered vaginally.
As a result of the “excruciating and traumatic” delivery, Treveon Isaiah Jr. suffered “massive blunt force trauma to his head and neck, multiple skull and facial bone fractures, hemorrhaging in his brain, hemorrhaging in his neck and around his spinal cord, multiple fractures of the bones in his neck, [which] ultimately resulted in his decapitation,” the complaint reads.
The couple claims the doctor tried to hide the baby's condition afterward.
The couple also accuses St. Julian of trying to hide the details of their son’s delivery. The doctor did not mention the decapitation when discussing the labor hours later. Hospital workers lied to the couple, telling them that a free autopsy was not an option under the circumstances.
“The complaint alleges that this false information was given to avoid a forensic autopsy and to obstruct the gathering of evidence,” authorities said, according to Law & Crime. “Furthermore, the complaint alleges that healthcare providers at the hospital pressured the young couple to cremate their baby in an attempt to destroy evidence.”
Hospital staff prevented the couple from holding the baby.
Ross and Taylor demanded to see and hold their child. Hospital staff told them they were not allowed to touch or hold the newborn.
“Hospital staff allowed the young couple to only view their dead child,” the plaintiff team wrote. “During this viewing, their baby was wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped on top of his body in a manner such that those viewing him could not identify that he had been decapitated.”
It wasn’t until July 13 — a day after Ross left the hospital — that the staff told them about her son’s decapitation.
The couple is requesting a jury trial.
Law & Crime confirmed that St. Julian is not an employee of South Regional Medical Center; instead, she was the couple’s doctor and used the hospital’s facilities for delivery. The hospital said HIPAA and privacy laws prevented it from discussing the care and treatment of specific patients but denied the allegations.
“The hospital has taken the appropriate steps in response to this unfortunate situation,” the hospital stated, per Law & Crime. “Our commitment is to provide compassionate, quality care to every single patient, and this loss is heartbreaking.”
The couple seeks a jury trial. The "plaintiffs are asking for monetary damages including for the value of the baby’s life such as loss of lifetime earnings” and for burial and funeral expenses, CNN reported.
