An ex-nurse was apprehended for child abuse after three premature babies suffered
“unexplainable fractures”
at a hospital in Virginia, which has now closed its neonatal intensive care unit, according to the New York Post.
26-year-old Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman currently faces charges of malicious wounding and felony child abuse for the injuries at Hernia Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond. The infants were discovered with shattered bones in late Nov. and early Dec., Henrico County Police reported.
The recent violence follows an incident where four babies, including a newborn with a broken leg, were injured in the same unit in summer 2023, officials said. Officials are reviewing numerous NICU videos and re-examining the 2023 and 2024 cases as part of a wider investigation, according to the press release.
According to the department,
“The Henrico County Police Division is utilizing all available resources to ensure a thorough investigation into this matter.”
In Dec., the Hackeys revealed their heartbreak after baby Noah couldn’t move his leg at the hospital in Sept. of 2023.
Dominique Hickey informed WTVR,
“It was kind of discolored. I told the doctor on staff, got some x-rays, and we determined he had a fracture to his leg, so we are going to splint it for the next two weeks, and then she was like do you want to hold him?”
He continued,
“In my mind I’m like, I don’t want them to turn it around on us and say we broke his leg or anything like that so I was like, ‘No, we don’t want to hold him, we are just going to process this.’”
The hospital has temporarily ceased admitting babies to the neonatal intensive care unit as a precaution and has added stronger security measures.
According to a hospital statement,
“In late November/December, we discovered that three babies in our Henrico Doctors’ Hospital NICU had unexplainable fractures, similar to an incident involving four babies in the summer of 2023.”
“We initiated a thorough internal investigation, informed the families and notified the proper authorities and regulatory agencies and worked collaboratively with them on their investigations,”
the statement continued.
A hospital rep confirmed Strotman as an ex employee; she graduated as a registered nurse in 2019, per her social media page.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
