Nevaeh Hall’s life changed radically when she went to an appointment with her dentist at age 4 and suffered brain damage. After years of legal proceedings to seek justice, the professional was given a five-year suspended sentence.
Hell for the Hall family began in January 2016 when the minor went to an appointment with her dentist, Bethaniel Jefferson. In the middle of the procedure, the minor began having seizures.
The dentist reportedly tried to control Nevaeh’s seizures by giving him oral medications and allowed him to have low blood oxygen levels for several hours before calling emergency services.
This failure to follow care protocols resulted in the girl suffering a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury due to lack of oxygen.
After being on the brink of death, the minor suffered from brain damage, inability to speak and blindness, as well as limited mobility, making her dependent on her family to carry out her activities.
The dentist’s lawyer told Law&Crime that the woman admitted to misbehaving during the procedure and claimed she went into shock when the minor began twitching.
Jefferson, 46, was found guilty of one count of negligently causing grievous bodily harm to a child by omission and was sentenced to probation.
Both the family and prosecutors were unhappy with the verdict, as the sentence they requested was 20 years in prison.
“Nevaeh will not be able to go to her graduation ceremony, walk down the aisle and get married, or enjoy her birthdays where she can run and play, which is what a child should do,” the girl’s grandmother commented.
Although the jury awarded the family $95.5 million in a civil lawsuit, they were unable to receive all of the money because the dentist’s malpractice insurance did not cover all the costs, according to Law&Crime.
