"She was born so perfect, and they just cut off her finger," reports one visibly upset young mother as she recounts a nurse's mistake that resulted in the severing of half of the her infant daughter's left pinky finger. The scene that unfolded was one of chaos as the nurse ran out of the room screaming and the poor child "squirted blood everywhere." A scene a mother should never have to witness.

Reportedly, the nurse was attempting to remove an intravenous tube from the hand of the infant child when she accidentally cut off the child's pinky instead of the small tube. Because of the delicate nerves and veins in the tiny finger, it could not be saved. The mother is heartbroken that her first born has experienced this and will forever have to live with the results.

The mother is now suing the hospital and the nurse for negligence. The mother is seeking $15,000 in compensation for the damages resulting from a failure to properly adhere to training procedure, a failure of supervision and a failure to train properly.

Nurses have a responsibility to uphold the health of their patients. This seems a foolish and costly mistake. When nurses, doctors or hospitals make errors, in Ohio and elsewhere, very often the victim is entitled to compensation.

The mother is rightfully upset, "And now she has only nine fingers. That's really hard. It's really going to hurt when she asks, 'Mom, what happened to my finger?'" Hopefully compensation will help toward the road to acceptance.

Source: Orlando Sentinel, "Polk mom's lawsuit: Nurse cut off baby's pinky," Ray Reyes, Mar. 27, 2012