A jury in Georgia awarded $1.8 million in damages to a boy (and $500,000 to his mother) who will live the rest of his life with a severed penis. At the time of his birth, the attending physician removed too much tissue while performing a circumcision. A nurse attempted to contact the child’s pediatrician, but the pediatrician failed to respond and go to the hospital.
The boy’s penis could have been re-attached, had a urologist attended to the boy within 8 hours of the medical malpractice. However, the severed tip of the penis remained in a biohazard bag even after the nurse detected the excessive bleeding.
The jury did not award any punitive damages in favor of the boy and his mother, but rather compensated them for the cost of medical treatments and psychiatric counseling that the boy and family will require throughout his life.
