On the day the jury made the decision to convict a Dallas father for child abuse, the two-year-old boy was brought in. The jury was asked to meet the victim, who had been so badly abused that he was blind, deaf, and paralyzed. Jurors wept and the father accused of the crime could not even look at the boy.
The 26-year-old father did not watch while the nurse showed the jurors how the boy lived since his father severed the boy’s spinal cord in December 2008. It took the jury only 30 minutes before they sentenced the father to life in prison.
“I looked at him a lot – no remorse,” one juror told an NY City Spinal Injury Lawyer. “The evidence showed it was all about him.”
The father of the boy will not be eligible for parole in 30 years. The child has been adopted, but is not expected to live into adulthood.
The child slept as his nurse stood with him in front of the jury box. The way she can tell when he is awake is when his heartbeat speeds up. Jurors cried and shook their heads as they observed the little boy in his wheelchair. The nurse reported that he was having a “good day”, which means the child did not suffer a seizure and spent most of the day sleeping. It means he has a normal heart rate and didn’t need any oxygen. He is unable to hold his head up and his spine is curved – doctors had to create a new one from his ribs to prevent further damage. In Queens and Staten Island it’s been reported that injuries like these can lead to quadriplegia.
No one is sure how the child was hurt. He was only five months old when he was either shaken or hit with or against something, NYC Spinal Injury Lawyers have learned. His parents took him to the hospital when he stopped breathing and doctors were able to revive him.
The child had 42 broken bones – each of his fingers and toes were broken. He also displayed bite marks, bruises, and at least one of his fingernails was torn off. Many of the breaks were previously inflicted and had never been treated. He is also severely brain damaged.
The boy’s mother, 24, faces trial later.
Having no advocate to speak for you or your loved ones in the event of catastrophic spinal injury makes it that much worse. You have the option to pick legal counsel that can make sure justice is done and you are properly compensated for your injuries. Call a N York Spinal Injury Lawyer today to make sure you have the best with you when your day in court arrives.