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Hospital Trust apologises after baby's skull cut during caesarean

Parents of baby who died during an emergency caesarean have received an apology from the hospital Trust.

Just three hours after being born, Carson Allen died following a cut to his head during his delivery.

It was only during the post-mortem examination that his mother found out that the cut to her son's head was caused by a scalpel.

A claim for clinical negligence has now settled against Nottingham University for an undisclosed sum.

Hannah Bottomley, clinical negligence solicitor at Potter Rees Dolan, said:

I sadly comment on news stories such as this one several times every year. My deepest sympathies go out to Carson’s parents who have been put through the trauma of losing a child and have then had to deal with an inquest before finally, almost five years after his death, reaching a settlement with the Trust and finally being able to bring the whole process to a close.

The head of service for obstetrics and gynaecology at the hospital apologised for the shortfalls in baby Carson's care and stated how no words or amount of money can undo the harm and distress experienced by the family.

Having attended inquests in the past for babies who have sadly passed away, Hannah added:

Losing a child is terrible and the circumstances in which clinical negligence has caused or significantly contributed to that death undoubtedly makes things more difficult. However, my main concern for parents in these tragic situations is the length of time it takes for those responsible to admit to their mistakes.

Often parents pursue clinical negligence claims not for financial settlement, no amount of money can replace the loss of a child, but for answers and an admission that something went wrong. The comments from Carson’s mother make it clear to me that this was what she was looking for and I find it unforgivable that a family who have been put through the worst experience of their lives are forced to wait years for an admission and resolution

You can read more about Inquests and how we can help on our dedicated page in fatal accidents due to clinical negligence.

Hannah Bottomley is a clinical negligence solicitor here at Potter Rees Dolan. Should you have any queries about clinical negligence issues or indeed any other aspect of this article and wish to speak to Hannah or any other member of the team please contact us on 0161 237 5888 or email Hannah directly.

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