Fractured skill: Police say a 30-year veteran nurse at the hospital in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, was holding the baby, Eli, about 6 am Tuesday when he fell from her grasp. He is seen here with a neck brace on
Police in Pennsylvania say a nurse has dropped a newborn boy at a hospital, fracturing his skull.
According to a report from the AP, the baby’s mother says a doctor told her the nurse was “drowsy.”
The hospital and Uniontown police say the 30-year veteran nurse at Uniontown Hospital was holding the baby at about 6 a.m. Tuesday when he fell from her grasp.
Mother Jacqueline Hunt tells WPXI-TV that a pediatrician told her the nurse was feeding and burping her 1-day-old son “and she was drowsy and fell asleep and dropped him.”
‘If she was tired, she should have known professionally not to pick up this child,’ Hunt said.
Hunt said staff did not alert as to what happened until an hour after.
By that point, Eli was already in a neck brace.
‘It’s just heartbreaking,’ she said.
‘I mean, if it was an accident, you can admit and tell us it was an accident.
‘There’s no need to lie.’
Update &new picture of Baby Eli! Neck brace removed & he can eat now! Mom says time will heal fracture to skull #WPXI pic.twitter.com/qV8rmEv5sW
— Damany (@DamanyLEWIS) July 1, 2015
Hall says he has a skull fracture but is expected to recover.
The hospital says, “We are sorry that such a wonderful event has been overshadowed by an unfortunate situation.”
Police are investigating but say they don’t believe criminal conduct was involved.
nurse drop newborn bab
Hard to believe the hospital admitted to a nurse getting drowsy and dropping the infant. I worked in hospitals for 38 years. I services medical equipment. I have worked for hospitals and for equipment manufacturers that contract their Bio Med services out. Dropping a baby could be done very easy from a nurse that is rested. Accidents happen. I have seen eye surgeons burn peoples eyes and blame the machines. I have seen Ortho surgeon kill and maim people and just move away with $600 million in law suits and go practice in another state. I have seen many things in all those years. I say don’t go into the hospitals unless there isn’t any other answer. I hope these people’s baby will be ok. I am retired now. I am so happy to not get up and spend the day at these hospitals. 38 years of death & sickness is enough.
I will also I am amazed at the uncleanness of most all Surgery rooms I have seen in my 38 years. Between cases they just flop a mop around on the floor to remove blood and fluids that drop. They just don’t do a good job of cleaning. I saw one man in a hospital that job was cleaning O.R. rooms at night. You could eat off his rooms floors & walls. He really cared.
His name was Billy Hodges. He deserved respect for his work.
was a nurse for 28 yrs.. and agree with others who have commented re: long hrs., no supper, no break, maybe no time to visit the bathroom. Yet, we are expected to meet the same standard as someone who has had a full 8 hrs. of sleep. There are nurses in every facility who could help but they are working as management and it “isn’t my job.” Nurses are needed. Get business majors to work in the office. I left and now work as a cashier. I know nurses who are working in grocery stores and one as a school crossing guard. At one point, every nurse on my shift was taking some sort of anti-depressant. Patients and their families need to complain to the state if anything is to change. Tell the state if and how your care is effected by low staffing. Go directly to the state not the “Patient Advocate,” Their job is to keep you happy so you don’t go to the state.