The LAST thing the child should endure is HIV medications that compromise immune function and kill. The needles MIGHT cause a little injury or infection but HIV isn't one of them. Needles poke - HIV drugs kill!

http://www.omsj.org/life-science

I do have kids, ages 14 and 19. And I can safely say they got to the ages they are by my actually watching what they were doing, keeping them by my side, and not letting them run and play in a vat of needles somewhere in a clinic. I doubt they had them in an open bin in the waiting room over by the toys and magazines. There are lots of dangerous things in a clinic - drugs, equipment, electricity, chemicals, scalpels, you name it. I suppose the kid is lucky she didn't get to go play with those things either. If the clinic had given her the bin of needles to play with rather than the raggedy ann doll, then maybe they deserve a lawsuit, but if the mother let the kid out of her sight to venture off into areas she shouldn't have been, then it's her fault. Even if they were in the exam room, the mother should have been watching what the kid was doing and held her in her lap or taking her by the hand and say something like "no, no sweetie, stay away from that," but it sounds like the kid came from somewhere she couldn't be seen all bloody and pricked. In that case, it IS the parent's fault. Don't let your prized possession out of your sight even for a minute if you're not sure what's around.

Agree so much. Is it the restaurant's fault if the kid falls in the deepfryer? (Childless Park Slope bar patrons smile at the imagery). :)

Clearly none of the people who blame the mother for this tragedy have kids. Plus, you guys are assholes.

Have both kids and a medical practice. You wouldn't beleive how patients let their kids run around the office. There's all sorts of sharp, toxic and burning stuff in every office. I tell the parents either the kid sits in your lap or in the chair over there. Anything else (the waiting room is kid friendly), you're gonna have to come back.

Stupid J-Hole mother. Bitch you are responsible for watching your child at all times and not letting her run around thinking the hospital was one big playground. This is the type of mother who would let her 3 y/o play on a balcony alone. Talking to the doctor(s), doubt it, probably scratching her ass while on her cellphone. “LAWSUIT!”

Cha cha cha...CHING!

Talk about worst-case-scenario sensationalism.

Ok letting your child run around a hospital unsupervised...stupid. Yes. But also who leaves dirty needles in an open bin on the floor in the hospital. That's unsafe in general.

So you just let your 3 year old child wander aimlessly around a clinic until she happens upon a vat of used needles on the floor, and then let her play around (or in this case in) them? Where was the "parent" and I use the term loosely, while this allegedly happened? Something smells fishy here.

And why was your three year old daughter running around a medical center alone? Scary price to pay, but hey, negligence sucks.

The better question is why were sharps left in the open? A hospital isn't kid-proof, but sharps, especially used ones, should never be left in a bin on the floor.

In this case, a lawsuit is TOTALLY justified, especially if the girl actually does get HIV. Lifetime treatment is outrageously expensive.