A Utah judge awarded a Wyoming family the highest medical malpractice payout in state history. In August, the judge ruled a West Valley City hospital was negligent in caring for a pregnant woman and her baby back in 2019 and awarded the family $951 million. The nurses at the hospital administered high doses of Pitocin, which induces labor, and ignored signs the baby was losing oxygen.
Anyssa Zancanella was on vacation in Utah when she went into labor at 39 weeks pregnant. Zancanella was advised not to travel home and instead deliver her baby nearby.
Zancanella, who was 19 when she was pregnant with her daughter, went to the West Valley location of Jordan Valley Medical Center where a group of new nurses were left to care for her. The physician on duty was taking a nap in a nearby room.
According to hospital records, the baby had an irregular heart beat — a warning sign she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. Zancanella had a C-Section after 36 hours of labor, where her daughter was born with severe birth injuries.
Zancanella and her partner Daniel McMicheal sued the hospital, saying medical malpractice led to her daughter’s health issues that were preventable.
“Literally this was the most dangerous place on the planet for her to give birth,” said Judge Patrick Corum. “Anyssa would have been better off delivering this baby in the bathroom of a gas station or in a hut somewhere in Africa than this hospital.”
Today, Zancanella’s daughter is nonverbal and suffers from seizures. Despite the ruling in her favor, Zancanella expressed her sadness for the situation.
“It doesn’t matter the amount of money,” said Zancanella. “She’s not who she should have been.”
Zancanella and her lawyers initially sued for less money, but Corum said the severity of the damage warranted more.
Author: Hannah Clove
Photos courtesy of Anyssa Zancanella
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