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German High Court Orders Retrial in Child's Death After Delayed Emergency Response

The BGH has overturned a lower court ruling, demanding expert analysis on whether a faster Notarzt dispatch could have prevented the 2017 tragedy.

Ein Krankenwagen auf dem Weg zum Einsatz (Symbolbild).
Ein Mitarbeiter des Rettungsdienstes lehnt in der Tür eines Rettungswagens. (Symbolbild)
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Overview

  • The Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) has quashed the Schleswig-Holstein Oberlandesgericht's decision, sending the case back for retrial with new expert evaluation.
  • Parents allege that emergency call delays and a 50-minute wait for a Notarzt in 2017 led to their child’s hypoxic brain damage and subsequent death in 2018.
  • The BGH criticized earlier rulings for not consulting a medical-legal expert to assess if an immediate Notarzt dispatch was warranted under emergency guidelines.
  • The retrial will examine whether breaches of duty by emergency services directly caused the child’s injuries and fatal outcome.
  • The case revisits liability standards for emergency response in obstetric crises, challenging the Bundesärztekammer’s indication catalog used in prior rulings.