After a momentous incident in the hospital, the Limburg regional court awarded a child a total of one million euros in compensation for pain and suffering.

The court announced on Monday.

A civil chamber saw it as proven that the then one-year-old boy had cried and screamed so much when he was given an antibiotic that he choked on a piece of apple he had previously eaten.

As a result, he suffered severe brain damage in the incident in 2011.

When it came to the amount of compensation for pain and suffering, the chamber oriented itself according to the announcement on the fatal consequences: The boy would never lead "an even approximately normal life".

He had demanded compensation for pain and suffering of at least 500,000 euros.

According to the court, the hospital in question in the Limburg-Weilburg district, a nurse and an attending doctor were sentenced to pay the sum plus interest.

Rescue measures were "even harmful"

The case occurred in December 2011. The child came to the clinic because of an infection. The one-year-old should have received the medicine via a port. The court ruled that the nurse had known that the child had eaten shortly before. She should have expected that the boy would get upset about the medication and would therefore have to wait longer to avoid any possible swallowing of leftover food. The rescue measures then initiated were also "faulty and even harmful in the form implemented".

The court in Hesse listed the serious consequences for the plaintiff and his family: He could not speak and walk.

A normal childhood was largely denied to him.

“He is not allowed to play with his parents, siblings or other children, go to kindergarten or a normal school, or establish regular social relationships with his peers.” He is dependent on outside help around the clock.

The court also ruled that the plaintiff "all future unforeseeable immaterial as well as all past and future material damage that he has suffered or will suffer as a result of incorrect treatment" should be reimbursed.

The verdict is not yet legally binding.