According to News 10 in Albany:

"In what's being called one of the largest settlements of its kind in New York history, the family of a woman who died following complications from a Caesarean section at Albany Medical center will now get $5.2 million from the hospital, Dr. Sean Lee and Dr. Cheryl Burack.

On Wednesday, a State Supreme Court judge approved the settlement in Joseph McCabe's malpractice lawsuit in connection with his wife Diane's death on Sept. 3, 2007.

Powers said an investigation involving dozens of depositions revealed that Dr. Lee cut or tore Diane's uterine arteries during the C-section.  Diane suffered an obstetrical hemorrhage while in the operating room, losing approximately 60 percent of her blood volume.  Powers said Dr. Lee later corrected the problem, but he unknowingly caused more internal bleeding.  Powers said Dr. Lee refused to repair the additional bleeding for more than six hours, despite repeated requests to do so from two surgical intensive care physicians.

According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, New York ranks 47th in the country for maternal mortality.  Statistics show that an estimate 16 mothers die for every 100,000 live births in the state compared to a 13.1 average nationwide.  In 2004, the numbers for New York and the U.S. were 15.9 and 9.8, respectively.  All numbers are well above the Healthy People 2010 goal of 3.3 deaths."

If you or someone you love has been harmed while giving birth, you need to take action by seeking the help of New York medical malpractice lawyers who have a long track record of holding negligent medical care providers accountable.  Contact Fitzpatrick & Fitzpatrick today to schedule a free initial consultation.