Family Awarded Millions After Wife Dies During Childbirth

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has awarded a Kansas man and his 3-year-old son $6.55 million in a wrongful death verdict after the man’s wife died hours after giving birth at a Wichita hospital.

The award is the largest wrongful death verdict ever in Kansas. It splits the judgment between Edgar Perez and his son, Zander.

Lindsay Perez was a middle school drama teacher who died after giving birth on Oct. 8, 2015, at Wesley Medical Center. The suit named the hospital, its parent company and nine physicians. A hospital spokesman didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Doctors diagnosed Lindsay Perez with preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication. The lawsuit claimed the hospital failed to provide adequate care and ignored distress signs during and after the birth.