Mom Dies After Routine Caesarean Section, and Dad Sues Cedars-Sinai
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is facing national backlash after a woman internally bled to death after giving birth to her baby boy. The woman’s husband is now suing the hospital and pushing for policy changes and raising awareness of the U.S. maternal mortality crisis and birth-related injuries to mom and baby. The U.S. has remained the only developed country with a rising death rate for pregnant or new mothers for more than a decade.
The woman’s husband, Charles Johnson, says doctors told them the birth would be a routine Caesarean section, but soon after, he started noticing worrisome issues. According to a February 18, 2020 news interview between Johnson and CNN:
- The Foley catheter coming from Kira’s bedside begins to turn pink with blood.
- Johnson requests help from the Cedars-Sinai medical team by saying, “Please, look, my wife isn’t doing well.” And a care worker allegedly responded with, “Sir, your wife just isn’t a priority right now.”
- His requests for help remained ignored for several hours while his wife continued to suffer.
- Finally, when the new mom was reviewed and sent to emergency surgery, more than 3 liters of blood had filled her abdomen.
- Kira Johnson was bleeding internally, for almost 10 hours, in her hospital bed before she passed.
The mom was a college-educated black woman with a successful career as an entrepreneur, and her death followed the birth of her second son.
The case is now pending, but Cedars-Sinai said in a released statement that privacy laws prevent them from commenting on specific patient cases and that “any situation where there are concerns about a patient’s medical care” a thorough review and investigation follows.
American Black Women Are Challenged by An Alarming Maternal Death Risk
According to recent data from the CDC, approximately 658 women in the U.S. died in childbirth in 2018. Making the U.S. the only developed country with a rising death rate for pregnant or new mothers. Public health experts have long been warning that the alarming rate is not just affecting poor or sick mothers but also healthy, college-educated black women such as Kira Johnson. The maternal death rate for black women was more than double that of white women: 37.1 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 14.7 in 2018. Additionally, mistreatment is experienced more frequently by women of color when a delivery occurs in a hospital setting.
Request a Free Consultation to Evaluate Your Birth-Related Injury or Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The rate at which mothers are dying is disturbing. The rate at which black mothers are dying is even more so. If you suspect medical negligence may have contributed to a birth-related injury, maternal death, or infant death, please contact Levin & Perconti toll-free at 877-374-1417 or in Chicago at (312) 332-2872 for a FREE consultation.
