Massachusetts Family Gets $7M in Death of Daughter

A Hamilton family has been awarded a $7 million judgment by a Suffolk Superior Court jury that determined a doctor and a nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston were negligent in the death of their premature daughter.

Lawyers for Danielle and John Bellerose say their 8-day-old daughter, Katherine, died in June 2004 of a bowel infection that primarily affects premature babies.

They said in their lawsuit that a short-staffed, weekend crew of doctors and nurses failed to recognize the girl’s symptoms and then took too long to react when they did become aware of them.

Katherine had a twin sister who survived.

Lawyers for the hospital say medical standards were met in the case.

A hospital spokesman had no comment.