ORLANDO, Fla. – A Polk County nurse who was trying to remove an IV from a 3-month old baby accidentally snipped off part of the girl's pinky and now the family is suing the nurse and the hospital.
Veronica Olguin is scheduled to appear at a news conference on Wednesday after hiring the Orlando-based Pendas Law Firm to represent her.
Olguin said a nurse at Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Polk County cut off her daughter's finger with a pair of scissors.
"She just turned really red. She started screaming. I just remember (my daughter waving her hand)," said Olguin, who added that the incident still haunts her. "I wake up and everything comes back to my mind and I just wake up crying. Sometimes I can't go back to sleep because of the thought of it."
Olguin said that there's nothing the nurse, Emily Anna Stutz, can say or do.
"All she ever said to me was 'I am sorry, I have children too,'" Olguin said.
The hospital on Tuesday released a statement about the incident.
"An unfortunate accident occurred at our hospital while an experienced nurse was removing bandages from the tip of a child's finger. We rushed the child to a hand specialist, but unfortunately the tip of the finger could not be reattached. We deeply regret the harm to the child and want to express our compassion and concern for her and her family," the hospital said in a statement.
The incident happened in October, but Olguin's attorney, Lou Pendas, said his firm has not been able to come to an agreement with the hospital. He said communication began with the hospital after the incident, but since then, all communication has stopped.
"We reached out right away to the child's family and their attorney, but have not been able to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. Again, we want to reiterate our sincere concern for the child and her family," the hospital said.
Pendas said it's too early to say what kind of compensation they are looking for, but according to the lawsuit records, it labels damages exceeding $15,000.
"I don't want this to happen to another kid," Olguin said.
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