Touchette Hospital sued by parents over still birth

 

A St. Clair County mother and father say a Centreville hospital is responsible for their child being stillborn.

Erica Jones, individually and on behalf of her deceased son, and Henry Dowell filed a lawsuit Nov. 20 against Touchette Regional Hospital Inc. in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

According to the petition, Jones went to Touchette Regional Hospital on Nov. 22, 2010 with what she believed were labor pains. Jones claims the hospital's labor and delivery nurses failed to properly evaluate the fetal non-stress test and, instead of admitting her to the hospital for observation, sent her home.

Jones says she returned to Touchette Regional a day later. She claims the staff failed to notify her obstetrician about her condition or the condition of her unborn child. Jones says that because the labor progression was allegedly diagnosed improperly, the medical staff failed to perform a caesarian section when they should have.

Jones says her son was delivered stillborn on November 24.

Jones and Dowell accuse the hospital of negligence in its handling of the birth of their son and they seek more than $200,000 in damages plus court fees. Attorney Steven E. Katzman of Belleville represents Jones and Dowell. They ask for a jury trial.

St. Clair County Circuit Court Case No. 12-L-625