Veteran Nurse Drops Newborn, Fracturing Skull

He was immediately airlifted to Pittsburgh
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2015 8:51 AM CDT
Veteran Nurse Drops Newborn, Fracturing Skull
Baby Eli's neck brace has been removed.   (Damany Lews/Twitter)

Shortly after dawn Tuesday, just hours after baby Eli was born, a veteran nurse at Uniontown Hospital in rural Pennsylvania dropped him. The nurse, a 30-year veteran, allegedly fell asleep while holding Eli and he slipped out of her arms, reports the New York Daily News. After a full battery of tests was performed, he was airlifted from the recently revamped Family Beginnings Birthing Center to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh "as a precaution" because Eli wasn't eating normally, reports WPXI Pittsburgh. On Tuesday, the family said he had suffered a fractured skull with bleeding on the right side but that he was in stable condition, his neck brace removed, and he's expected to fully recover without surgery.

"If she was tired, she should have known professionally not to pick up this child," says Eli's mother, Jacqueline Hunt. The family has called the cops to investigate further. The hospital, which has launched its own internal investigation, offered its "thoughts and prayers" in a statement, adding, "We are thankful that it appears that this incident did not result in significant injury." It also noted that it is "supporting the nurse involved in the incident, recognizing her dedication to her job and the anguish she is suffering." The nurse's official status, meanwhile, is "under review," per the hospital. (Check out how much a newborn's brain grows every day.)

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