Derrick and Monique Rodgers say hospital staff dropped their newborn baby on its head moments after it was born.
All they wanted was an apology. When they failed to receive one, they released a video of the incident.
The Rodgerses say that Chandler Regional Medical Center in Arizona has given lip service.
The couple were proud parents of premature twins, Morgan and Madison, each born on Valentine’s Day. Derrick filmed the moment, and captured a member of the staff dropping one of the twins on her head on a table. Another staff member then grabbed the child to prevent her from falling.
“It made me so mad,” Derrick told Phoenix ABC affiliate KNXV, “I had to stop recording.”
However short, Monique promised herself she would “never watch that video again,” she said.
Derrick approached the doctor after the incident, but was less than satisfied with his response.
“I told him, ‘You dropped my baby,’” Rodgers said to KNXV. “He had like a nonchalant look on his face. Then I showed him the video, and he had nothing to say after that.”
Even after approaching the doctor, the family says they still never received an apology.
Though the twins are now home and parents say there are no serious concerns about the health of the twins, Morgan was found to have suffered a germinal matrix hemorrhage, or bleeding on the brain, though the parents were not told of the ultrasound that discovered the condition until six weeks after it was taken. Though GMH is not uncommon with premature babies, the couple has made plans to consult a neurologist.
“I feel like she was treated like a sack of potatoes,” Monique said.
For its part, the hospital told reports it took the issue “extremely seriously.”
“Because of patient privacy laws and a request from the family not to release information, we are unable to comment specifically on this matter,” Chandler Regional Medical Center said in a statement. “The safety of our patients and their families is always our top concern. The medical team at Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center takes this matter extremely seriously and is working to conduct a comprehensive review.”