A grieving father has detailed the horrific injuries that appeared on his newborn daughter following accusations a hospital worker ‘broke [the] baby’s neck’.
Gianna Lopera and Jahmair Peets welcomed daughter Jahxy Peets into the world in June 2022.
However, when Gianna gave birth at the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, she was only 24 weeks through her pregnancy.
Jahxy was rushed to intensive care due to her early arrival and was intubated by medical experts.
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Two weeks passed before people working in the hospital noticed the baby girl's limbs were no longer moving, with a subsequent MRI scan concluding Jahxy's neck had been snapped using 'extreme excessive force'.
Jahmair revealed how a bruise was found on his daughter's spine.
He said: "They don't know why she presented this and unfortunately she can't move her hands. The hospital also said her neck was swollen and the back of her head all of a sudden."
Jahxy eventually lost her battle from the injuries, passing away on November 25 at just 165 days old.
The baby girl's parents are now suing the hospital, claiming the facility attempted to hide how Jahxy's neck was broken.
Gianna and Jahmair's attorney, Nicole Kruegel, told McClatchy News: ‘She wasn’t able to breathe on her own, her organs started shutting down… it was just a very slow death.
"As far as the parents know, this person who did this could have done it intentionally, or if they did it accidentally, they did it because they don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re still in that NICU handling babies as far as we know," the attorney added.
Meanwhile, the suit, which was filed earlier this week, stated: "This traumatic event was either not recognized or was not reported and it appears from the records that an attempt to cover up the cause of Jahxy’s injuries was made."
Before the suit was filed in court, the hospital had admitted responsibility for Jahxy's passing under Florida Statute 766.207.
However, this would limit the amount of damages the family could have claimed for the loss of their daughter.
Kruegel added: "Jahxy’s parents are rejecting the admission, choosing instead to fight for justice.
"We would never ever be able to find out what happened to Jahxy. The thing that really upsets me about this case is the hospital admitting liability and trying to push this case to arbitration."
Orlando Health declined a request for comment from UNILAD, stating they do not comment on 'pending litigation'.
Callum Jones