Family Wins Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

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Five year old Alexis Hayes' cerebral palsy, lack of speech and need for a wheelchair came as a result of medical malpractice, an Ohio jury ruled last week. The jury awarded Hayes' family nearly $18 million for what they deemed was an anesthesiologist's error.

The injuries occurred as Alexis was about to undergo surgery to remove a benign cyst on her neck.

The hospital, which settled out of court during the trial on terms that were not disclosed, and lawyers for the anesthesiologists, argued that Alexis must have had a heart condition that had not been detected. However, jurors found that Dr. Sharon Benoit and her company, Children's Anesthesia Associates Inc., were responsible for Alexis' injuries.

Benoit, 44, failed to let Alexis recover properly from the first attempt to administer anesthesia and didn't respond quickly to warning signs that something was wrong, jurors found with their verdicts.

Read more about the medical malpractice lawsuit.