Parents of a premature baby are suing a Florida hospital, alleging in a complaint that their newborn suffered a fatal spinal cord injury at the hands of a worker.
In June 2022, Gianna Lopera and Jahmiah Peets welcomed their daughter Jahxy Peets at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. The infant was born via emergency cesarean section at 24 weeks gestation and she was immediately intubated and admitted to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
At the time, “there was no evidence of any birth-related trauma,” according to a complaint filed by the parents on October 17.
However, about two weeks later an MRI showed that Jahxy’s neck had been broken. She reportedly suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed and unable to breathe on her own, court documents state.
“This type of spinal cord injury could not occur without the use of excessive force when handling a newborn,” the complaint claims. “There is no note in the medical record documenting the excessive-force event which caused this traumatic injury, and no indication in the medical record that an investigation was performed to identify and bring to justice the individual who caused this devastating injury.”
Stock image of an incubator crib.
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“Furthermore, there is not evidence that police were notified that an individual with access to the Orlando Health NICU had broken Jahxy’s neck.”
Court documents also claim that following Jahxy’s injury, the hospital worker “put her back in the incubator without notifying anyone.”
Jahxy allegedly died a few months later in November 2022 due to the traumatic injury, per the complaint.
Because her broken neck was “either not recognized or not reported,” the complaint alleges that it appears “that an attempt to cover up the cause of Jahxy’s injury was made.”
A spokesperson for the hospital tells PEOPLE in a statement that they “will not address specific medical cases publicly but will share that the delivery of care to extremely premature babies is complex and emotional work for parents, doctors, and nurses.”
“We offer our deepest sympathies to this family, and to any family who suffers the loss of a child, but also believe those who provide care in this environment should be judged on facts, not speculation,” the statement continued. “We look forward to discussing the facts of this case in the appropriate forum.”
Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.
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During a press conference on October 21, Peets spoke about the short time he had with his daughter, calling her a “fighter.” Lopera also stressed that she and Peets “deserve answers” and “want justice for Jahxy.”
“Our heart is broken because we could not protect ourselves from Winnie Palmer Hospital. The place where she was supposed to be the safest,” she said in tears. “Every parent whose baby is born at Winnie Palmer deserves to know what happened to Jahxy. By covering it up, they are leaving room for it to happen again,” she further claimed.
“I never got a chance to hear my daughter cry,” Lopera continued. “She never got a chance to meet her siblings or her family. We never celebrated a single milestone. We only held her four times in her entire life.”
The parents are now seeking compensation for damages and requesting a jury trial.
