An Ohio father alleges in a lawsuit that his27-day-old daughter died in March 2025after she was pulled from her unsecured crib at Nationwide Children's Hospital by attached wires, resulting in a fatal fall.
Tyler Peyton, of Zanesville, Muskingum County, filed the lawsuit against the Columbus-based hospital on Jan. 27 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on behalf of the estate of Ellieana Peyton.
Nationwide Children's Hospital said it could not comment on pending litigation. No other defendants are named in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Ellieana's mother, Mackenzie Marshall, gave birth to the girl on March 4. Shortly after the birth, Ellieana was diagnosed with a heart condition that can cause difficulty in the heart's ability to create effective cardio output.
The lawsuit says Ellieana was admitted to Nationwide Children's Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit for monitoring on the same day as her birth. For several weeks, hospital staff monitored Ellieana, the lawsuit says, who was determined to be stable and scheduled to be released to go home on March 28.
Around 9:30 p.m. on March 25, the lawsuit says a patient care assistant left a rail down on Ellieana's crib. Ellieana had cords attached to her for monitoring, and those cords were also connected to a box in the assistant's pocket, court records say.
The assistant moved away from Ellieana's crib and the lawsuit says the wires pulled Ellieana over the open side of the crib. Ellieana fell approximately three to four feet to the floor, according to the lawsuit.
A CT scan performed the same night showed Ellieana had a skull fracture and brain bleeding, as well as swelling, tenderness and visible bruising, court records say.
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Ellieana's vital signs and health deteriorated over the course of several days, the lawsuit says, including developing hypotension, decreased oxygen saturation and a rapid heartbeat.
On the day she had originally been scheduled to go home, Ellieana suffered an acute cardiopulmonary collapse, the lawsuit says. She underwent prolonged CPR, as well as being intubated. Testing showed she had severe brain injuries caused in part by a lack of oxygen reaching her brain, according to the lawsuit.
On March 30, another CT scan showed extensive hypoxic-ischemic injuries throughout Ellieana's brain, injuries caused by reduced oxygen and blood flow to the brain, the lawsuit says. Her condition was determined by doctors to be irreversible.
Ellieana died at 7:50 p.m. on March 31 at 27 days old.
An autopsy performed by the Franklin County Coroner's office said Ellieana died from her congenital heart defect, which was complicated by the effects of the head injury she suffered in the fall. Her death was ruled an accident, according to the autopsy.
The lawsuit is seeking damages for medical negligence, wrongful death and misconduct.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached atbbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch:Father of Ohio baby sues Nationwide Children's Hospital
