May 29th, 2009
A man has been awarded compensation after receiving a huge electric shock at work.
Steven Roberts was training as an electrician and was testing wiring at a quarry. He was told that the current had been switched off and he had also checked the wires with a volt pen that indicated a negative reading.
However, the reading was incorrect and Mr Roberts suffered a large electric shock that burnt his hands and face. Had he not been wearing rubber boots, he could have died.
Mr Roberts took legal action against his employers, stating that he had not been adequately protected and that the protective equipment he was given did not meet safety standards.
His employer has now agreed to settle the claim out of court and has agreed to a payout of £17,750.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, over 1,000 electrical accidents at work are reported every year and some 25 people die of their injuries.
Tags: Electric Shock, Electrical Accidents, Electrician, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Protective Equipment, Quarry, Rubber Boots, Safety Standards, Steven Roberts
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May 29th, 2009
A police officer who was responsible for training Iraqi men in Basra has won the right to claim compensation after he hit his head in a police academy.
Robert McNeill was taking a training exercise when he ran into an air conditioning unit that was suspended from the ceiling, causing severe lacerations, Peterborough Today reports.
He claimed that the injury had caused him to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that he has been unable to work since because of depression.
In a new development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has admitted 60 per cent liability for Mr McNeill’s injuries, allowing him to claim compensation.
The victim is seeking up to £700,000 in damages for lost earnings and the pain he was caused, although the final amount is to be decided at a later date.
According to PTSD.net, people with the disorder may find it difficult to handle the stress of seeking compensation and so should seek the advice of a specialist solicitor.
Tags: Air Conditioning Unit, Basra, Damages, Depression, Earnings, Exercise, Foreign And Commonwealth, Foreign And Commonwealth Office, Lacerations, Peterborough, Police Academy, Police Officer, Post Traumatic Stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Ptsd, Robert Mcneill, Specialist Solicitor, Traumatic Stress Disorder, Wins
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May 29th, 2009
A woman whose husband was killed in Baghdad is taking legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for negligence.
Corporal David Williams was killed in 2005 when his plane was hit by missiles shortly after take-off in the Iraqi capital, This is Bath attests.
His wife Kathryn has lodged a high court writ claiming that the MoD had not ensured that the Hercules was airworthy and was therefore in breach of human rights and workplace safety regulations.
A spokesperson from the MoD said: "The MoD awaits the full details of this legal challenge from the families’ lawyers. Compensation is always paid in cases where there is a proven legal liability."
In March, the MoD admitted liability for the explosion of an RAF Nimrod in 2006, paving the way for the families of the deceased to claim six-figure sums in compensation.
The organisation admitted that it had not provided proper safety procedures and had not installed equipment that would have alerted crew to problems onboard.
Tags: Baghdad, Breach, Corporal, Explosion, Figure Sums, Hercules, Human Rights, Iraqi Capital, Legal Challenge, Legal Liability, Ministry Of Defence, Missiles, Negligence, Paving The Way, Proper Safety Procedures, Raf Nimrod, Spokesperson, Wife Kathryn, Workplace Safety Regulations, Writ
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May 28th, 2009
An 18-year-old man has received compensation for a misdiagnosis that occurred when he was a toddler.
Aaron Blain was on a farm in Stockport in 1993 when he became tangled in the reins of a horse which then panicked, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He was taken to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in Pendlebury, but was discharged. His parents were told to look for signs of a runny nose, which could indicate a fractured skull and leaking of spinal fluid.
When Aaron developed these symptoms, his parents called GP Dr Sean Maguire for a home visit, but they were dismissed and the child was not referred to hospital.
He went on to develop meningitis and was left with epilepsy, deafness and behavioural problems.
In a new development, the NHS trust responsible for the misdiagnosis has paid Aaron £5.75 million in order to cover his long-term care.
"We are glad to know what we have to work with but this is not about our future, it’s about Aaron," said his grandfather Howard Chipman.
Anyone who suffers from an injury or illness that was made worse by a misdiagnosis may be eligible for compensation and should seek the advice of a solicitor.
Tags: Behavioural Problems, Blain, Chipman, Deafness, Fractured Skull, Grandfather Howard, Manchester Children, Manchester Evening News, Meningitis, Misdiagnosis, Nhs Trust, Pendlebury, Reins, Royal Manchester, Runny Nose, S Hospital, Sean Maguire, Solicitor, Stockport
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
May 28th, 2009
A woman who had to undergo a hysterectomy after abnormal cells were missed during a routine smear test has been awarded compensation.
Lyn Harris, 53, had the original procedure at City Hospital in Birmingham in 2002, but the potentially cancerous cells were not detected.
It was not until 2005 that another smear revealed that she had developed cervical cancer and that she had no choice but to have a hysterectomy.
She took legal action against Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, which admitted liability for the misdiagnosis and agreed to a payout amounting to five figures.
A statement from the trust apologised and said that new standards of testing have been introduced as a result of Ms Harris’s ordeal.
"The trust endeavours to maintain the highest standards of screening but unfortunately on this rare occasion the changes in the smear test result in April 2002 were missed," it added.
Anyone who has endured pain and suffering as the result of a cancer misdiagnosis that would not have occurred had the diagnosis been correct may be entitled to claim compensation and should seek legal advice.
Tags: Abnormal Cells, Apologised, Cancerous Cells, Cervical Cancer, Diagnosis, Endeavours, Hospitals Nhs Trust, Hysterectomy, Legal Advice, Lyn Harris, Misdiagnosis, Ms Harris, Ordeal, Pain And Suffering, Rare Occasion, Sandwell, Smear Test, Test Result, Woman
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