An Ontario family that took a hospital to court over complications during their daughter’s birth has been awarded $5.2 million.
The money will help Jaye and Robert Butler cover medical costs related to their 10-year-old daughter Sarah, who was born with cerebral palsy.
In 2007, Jaye Butler gave birth to twins at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie, Ontario. Baby Luke came out healthy, but Sarah had complications. Medical records from the hospital reported that there was a spontaneous rupture of the amniotic sac around Sarah.
The girl’s parents maintain that it was the nurses who broke the water to induce labour triggering the crisis that deprived the newborn of oxygen for several minutes.
Justice J.R. McCarthy ruled that the hospital pay the Butlers $5.2 million for expenses such as future loss of income, extraordinary care, speech therapy and general damages.