$15M Verdict For Death of 8-Year-Old In Foster Care: On August 5, 2022, an Alabama jury returned its verdict in the amount of $15 million against a social worker employed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources and a foster care provider for their alleged negligence in the death of an 8-year-old foster care child who had sickle cell disease and was not provided prescription medications to treat his condition and was allowed to participate in physical activities without proper supervision while in foster care.
The Alabama wrongful death lawsuit alleged that the defendant social worker placed the child with the defendant foster care provider in February 2013. Within three months of the placement, the child began having breathing problems and was brought to a Montgomery, Alabama hospital and then transferred Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. Within two days of developing breathing problems, the child died because of the improper care and monitoring of his sickle cell disease, according to the Alabama wrongful death lawsuit.
Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. SCD is a genetic condition that is present at birth. It is inherited when a child receives two genes—one from each parent—that code for abnormal hemoglobin. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the hemoglobin is abnormal, which causes the red blood cells to become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.” The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious complications such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.
Management of SCD is focused on preventing and treating pain episodes and other complications. Prevention strategies include lifestyle behaviors as well as medical screening and interventions to prevent SCD complications. There are simple steps that people with SCD can take to help prevent and reduce the occurrence of pain crises, including the following:
- Drink plenty of water.
- Try not to get too hot or too cold.
- Try to avoid places or situations that cause exposure to high altitudes (for example, flying, mountain climbing, or cities with a high altitude).
- Try to avoid places or situations with exposure to low oxygen levels (for example, mountain climbing or exercising extremely hard, such as in military boot camp or when training for an athletic competition).
SCD is a disease that worsens over time. Treatments are available that can prevent complications and lengthen the lives of those who have this condition. These treatment options and their effects can be different for each person, depending on the symptoms and severity of their disease. The only therapy approved by the FDA that may be able to cure SCD is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
Source
If you or a loved one suffered harm (or worse) as a result of the mismanagement of sickle cell disease in Alabama or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find an Alabama medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your sickle cell disease medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a sickle cell disease medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
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