ORLANDO, Fla. — A 15-year-old mother is suing a Haines City hospital after a nurse accidentally snipped off the end of her baby's pinky finger.
Veronica Olguin's attorney Lou Pendas said the nurse at the Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Polk County cut off the 3-month-old child's finger with scissors in October while snipping an intravenous tube attached to her hand.
"Obviously what we are contending here is that she was not paying attention to what she was doing," Pendas said.
Olguin's baby, Selena, was in the hospital for bronchitis and was about to be released when her finger was cut off. Doctors tried to unsuccessfully to reattach the finger.
"She caused a lot of pain to all of us," said Olguin. "There is nothing she can really say, nothing will return my daughter's finger."
Olguin sued the nurse and the hospital for negligence. Her attorney said the lawsuit was necessary because a settlement couldn't be reached.
"What I really wanted was my baby to have all her fingers, but that is clearly impossible because she already lost it," Olguin said. "Everything comes to my mind about what happened. I just see all the blood again; all squirting all over the place, just like that day. I hear her crying," said Olguin.
Linda K. Vendl, marketing director for Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center said in a written statement, "An unfortunate accident occurred at our hospital while an experienced nurse was removing bandages from the tip of a child’s finger. We rushed the child to a hand specialist, but unfortunately the tip of the finger could not be reattached. We deeply regret the harm to the child and want to express our compassion and concern for her and her family. We reached out right away to the child’s family and their attorney, but have not been able to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. Again, we want to reiterate our sincere concern for the child and her family."
The suit seeks an unspecified amount of at least $15,000.
WFTV
