Eight years ago a new-born boy suffered a brain injury while being cared for at Valley Children’s Hospital.
Now, the Central Valley’s leading pediatric healthcare provider will appear in court this summer to defend itself from claims of medical malpractice.
The child at the center of the lawsuit is Jamison Gonzales, who was born on March 11, 2014, at Saint Agnes Medical Center alongside his identical twin Jenson to parents Kassie Gonzales and Justin Gonzales.
The twins were born premature and transferred to Valley Children’s. While Jenson lives a normal, active and healthy life, Jamison is unable to walk, talk or feed himself due to a brain injury he suffered at the hospital, his parents claim.
Jamison requires around the clock care after suffering from a lack of oxygen, a brain hemorrhage and other brain damage just a few days after he was born.
Kassie and Justin Gonzales filed a lawsuit against Valley Children’s and one of its neonatologists, Dr. Vinod Bansal, in 2018. Four years later, the lawsuit is set to go to trial on July 18.
“Jamison’s life was destroyed at Valley Children’s Hospital,” Kassi Gonzales said in a statement.
“Now we struggle to give him the best life possible given his brain damage, and we hope and pray this does not happen to another child at that hospital.”
According to the lawsuit, Valley Children’s “carelessly and negligently cared for” Jamison Gonzales, wrestling in him suffering “catastrophic injuries, including, but not limited to, permanent and irreversible brain damage, delayed gross motor skills, impaired mobility, vision impairment, and other catastrophic injuries.”
“In addition, Plaintiff Jamison Gonzales has suffered and will continue to suffer for the remainder of his life general damages for loss of enjoyment of his life and liberty, pain, suffering, mental and emotional anguish, embarrassment and humiliation,” the lawsuit reads.
The Gonzales family is seeking damages to cover the costs necessary to care for Jamison throughout his life as well as future earnings that he has lost.
