Pennsylvania Doctor Faces Lawsuit Over Death of Baby

By Daniel Hawn

Published on February 20, 2006

Renee Elmy and her husband Robert filed the lawsuit against Dr. Michael Miller. In the suit, the two claim that Miller delivered their baby boy, Joshua Robert Elmy, in August at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. The suit alleges that Miller employed excessive force when he used forceps to rotate the baby's position in the birth canal, which resulted in head trauma and other injuries that ultimately caused the baby's death.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, states that after Joshua was delivered he was taken to a specialized nursery, where a pediatrician indicated he suffered from injuries to the face and neck caused by the use of forceps during delivery. While at the nursery, Joshua underwent several seizures and suffered abdominal bleeding.

Joshua was later taken to another hospital and put on life support; however, he was eventually taken off of it at the recommendation of doctors.

The lawsuit claims that Miller's use of forceps resulted in multiple fractures to Joshua's skull and a ruptured liver. Miller, the medical center and Geisinger Health System Foundation are all included as defendants in the suit. The parents are asking for more than $50,000.

A spokesperson for the medical center was unable to be contacted for comment Tuesday.

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