Jury Awards Family of Woman Who Died After Childbirth

A Florida jury has returned a $4.25 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit involving a woman who died after childbirth.

The family of Wendy Leigh Jackson filed the wrongful death lawsuit against physicians at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.

Jackson died 16 hours after giving birth when an artery ruptured due to a renal aneurism.  The lawsuit claims that doctors Wyndal K. Blankenship, Barry Riggs, and Saad Rahman knew that Jackson was bleeding near her kidneys. According to the lawsuit the doctors failed to take appropriate action until it was too late.

Both Blankenship and Rahman were held liable by the jury.  Riggs was eventually cleared and the hospital was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Jackson's son was awarded $1.7 million for pain and suffering and $185,000 for loss of support and services.  Her husband was also awarded $1.8 million for pain and suffering and $565,000 for loss of support and services.

Attorneys for the defendants tried to place partial responsibility on Jackson, but the jury rejected that argument.

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