Mother accuses Presbyterian Hospital of dropping newborn

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte mother said a hospital staff member dropped her premature daughter, fracturing the baby's skull.

It took hours before the mother was told about the incident.

Now, she has filed a lawsuit against Presbyterian Hospital.

• LAWSUIT: Child dropped at Presbyterian Hospital

Jessica Roman was overjoyed to become a mother, but her daughter Julie was born two months premature.

Roman showed anchor Allison Latos photos from inside Presbyterian Main's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit showing bruising on her daughter's hip and head.

She had a knot and some bruising, which a nurse noticed when evaluating her.

Roman said Julie suffered those injuries and a fractured skull after a staff member dropped Julie about 3 feet to the floor from a scale.

“She just said, ‘I’m so sorry. I was just giving her a bath and she was wiggling and I turned around for 2 minutes, or 2 seconds, and she fell on the floor,’” Roman said.

Roman demanded to see the doctor and told me she was outraged by his response.

“His reaction was, ‘Well, you know parents drop their babies all the time. Babies are very resilient and it will be fine,’” Roman said.

She did not get a phone call about the incident and she only found out when she came to the hospital and noticed something was wrong.

The lawsuit against Presbyterian Hospital and Novant Health claims negligence.

Julie is now 15 months old. Her mother is concerned she'll have health issues in the future and questions the hospital's care of other infants.

“If it’s not that big of a deal, how often does this really happen?” Roman said.

Roman and her attorney are asking for a jury to rule on the case at trial and more than $25,000 in restitution.

Novant Health statement: 

"It is our policy not to comment on active litigation. Privacy laws also prevent us from commenting on the specifics of any patient matter.  However, Novant Health is deeply committed to the safety of our patients and we continuously evaluate our processes and procedures to ensure we are putting safety at the center of everything we do."    

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