Coroner’s jury says nurse negligent in baby death
A Fayette County Coroner’s jury has recommended that police investigating the death of a 7-month-old baby present the findings of the case to the district attorney for review after they determined a home care nurse was negligent in her care of the infant.
A panel of three men and three women made the recommendation after nearly 10 hours of testimony and discussion regarding the death of Derek V. Miskanin Jr. during an inquest held Wednesday.
The child was pronounced dead at 1:25 a.m. Dec. 4, 2010 at Uniontown Hospital after he was found by a home care nurse and his parents not breathing at the couple’s home on Bute Road in North Union Township.
Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly said that the tentative cause of death was determined to be failure to maintain airway control and the tentative manner of death was ruled accidental, but added that an inquest into the child’s death was requested.
Miskanin, who was a special care case after being born more than three months premature, was assisted in breathing by a tracheotomy and also had other special care needs after spending about four months hospitalized following his birth.
His father, Derek Miskanin Sr., told jurors Wednesday that he had turned over care of his son to nurse Jackie Yeagley of Pediatric Services of America (PSA), shortly after 11 p.m. Dec. 3 and retired to his bedroom where he was alerted by Yeagley about an hour later that there was a problem with the child.
For full details, read tomorrow’s HeraldStandard.com.