Having a baby is undoubtedly one of the most terrifying experiences of many women’s lives and as a result, it’s important that they feel comfortable in their delivery doctor’s care. So when one woman noticed something strange about her obstetrician’s behavior, it quickly set alarm bells ringing. Alex Sims comes from Las Vegas, Nevada. As a preschool teacher, she is no doubt a natural around young children. It’s safe to say then that she was looking forward to the prospect of welcoming her own son, Jared, into the world in May 2015.
If you have not done so already, please subscribe to our channel and click that notification bell to get inspired by these real-life stories every day. Now back to the story. And when the time came for Alex to deliver her baby, doctors placed her into induced labor at Sunrise Hospital in Winchester, Nevada. Due to complications, however, medical staff thought that the expectant mom may need an emergency C-section. And to make matters worse, her regular doctor was on vacation. Instead, Sims would be in the care of Dr. Frank D. Lee, the hospital’s on-call obstetrician at the time.
D. Lee has been delivering babies since 1981, and according to his website, bringing new life into the world is his passion. It therefore seemed that Alex could expect to be in very safe hands. As soon as D. Lee walked into the delivery room, however, Alex’s mother, Shuri, who was there to support her daughter through the birth, sensed that something was not right. In fact, according to the soon-to-be grandma, the doctor smelled of alcohol.
Things then took an even more worrying turn. You see, Shuri claims that the doctor appeared to suggest that he’d arrived at the hospital from a bar. And a cell phone video from Alex’s delivery room could back up her mother’s accusations. In the footage, which was obtained by Nevada news channel KTNV, D. Lee can be seemingly heard telling a nurse that there weren’t many people in the bar when he left. But as though I’m concerned by the doctor’s line of conversation, the nurse appears to have replied, « I’m sorry, did you waste a drink? »
At that point, Alex and Shuri grew even more concerned. You see, the pair had noticed something unusual about the doctor’s appearance as well. As they looked down at the obstetrician’s feet, they saw that he was barefoot. And that wasn’t all. According to Alex’s lawyer, Cal Potter, he was also wearing Bermuda shorts. Then later in the video, an unidentified voice off-camera appears to ask which D. Lee seems to reply, « Well, look what time it is. »
Throughout this time, however, Alex was dealing with her delivery pains. « I kept telling the doctor, like, I can feel everything. I think the epidural wore off, » and he’s like, « Oh, just scoot your fat ass down. » « Oh, I bet you wish your doctor would have come back in town. » KTNV went on to claim that in the video, D. Lee even mentions the name of the bar that he supposedly visited. When the news network reached out to the doctor, though, under the advice of his lawyer, he declined to comment.
Following the birth of her grandson Jared, Shuri’s stomach dropped. « There’s a baby arm like this, » and I said, « Something’s wrong with his arm. What’s wrong with his arm? » Experts later diagnosed Jared with Erb’s Palsy, paralysis of the arm caused by a nerve injury. And it was because of this diagnosis that Alex decided to launch a lawsuit against Steve Lee. She and her attorney allege that the doctor’s rough delivery method had caused Jared’s Erb’s Palsy.
Indeed, they claimed that because of D. Lee, her son will have to live with a disability for the rest of his life. Alex’s attorney, Cal Potter, stated that the system had betrayed the young mom and her family. He also claimed that the hospital and nurses involved had not fulfilled their duty to stop D. Lee. « It’s a very disturbing sequence of events that took place. I think any person should be horrified. »
What’s more, medical experts who reviewed Alex’s case apparently determined that D. Lee used inappropriate techniques by pulling on her baby’s arms. Court documents reveal, however, that D. Lee denied any liability. Meanwhile, Sunrise Hospital requested that the court toss out some of the claims outlined in the lawsuit. Contact 13, KTNV’s investigative news arm, moreover, claimed that this was not the first time that D. Lee had been accused of malpractice. Indeed, it alleged that according to records held by the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners, the doctor settled a case of negligent vaginal delivery resulting in shoulder dystocia in 2012.
Contact 13 also claimed that D. Lee was the subject of another half dozen accusations that involved more than $2.7 million in insurance payouts and settlements. « It’s very surprising because if he has a track record, I don’t understand why he still has a license to practice, » Alex said in reference to the other allegations. And the disgruntled mom also stated that she was worried that other families may suffer similar experiences if nothing changed.
Unfortunately, it’s not clear what became of Alex’s lawsuit or if it’s still going. However, the doting mom certainly seemed determined to find answers for her son’s sake. « Someone needs to be accountable, and I just feel like if I don’t speak up for my child, who will? »
