April 9th, 2009
A woman who suffered brain damage at birth is to receive compensation of more than £1 million after the hospital admitted to failings in her care.
Jackie Crothall went into hospital expecting twins in January 1988, but had started to experience difficulties, ThisisHampshire.net attests.
She was in need of an emergency Caesarean, but staff at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester failed to recognise this.
As a result, one twin died and the other, Becky Crothall, suffered brain damage that led to cerebral palsy.
Now 21, she is unable to go out alone and cannot be left unsupervised.
Through her mother, Becky took legal action against South Central Strategic Health Authority and has now secured the payout.
Her legal representative said that the money is not a windfall, but a just settlement to pay for Becky’s future care and the assistance she has already received.
According to Scope, one in 400 children in the UK suffers from cerebral palsy. Around ten per cent of cerebral palsy compensation claims are due to complications at birth.
Tags: 1 Million, 1m, Becky, Birth Injury, Brain Damage, Cerebral Palsy, Compensation Claims, Crothall, Expecting Twins, Future Care, Injury Victim, Legal Representative, Royal Hampshire County, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Scope, Strategic Health Authority, Winchester, Windfall, Woman
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
March 27th, 2009
The standards of care at an NHS hospital have been called into question after it was revealed that it paid out more than £1 million in compensation for clinical negligence cases last financial year.
Ipswich Hospital on Heath Road paid out £1,047,262 from 2007-08, however, this did not include one individual case in which a child was paid a substantial sum for brain damage, the Ipswich Evening Star reports.
Holly Goodwyn was left with brain damage, cerebral palsy and epilepsy after her birth in 1997 and the hospital paid her damages for inadequate care in 2008, but this came under the figures for the following financial year.
Jan Rowsell, spokesperson for Ipswich Hospital, denied that the standards of care fall below what can be reasonably expected by patients.
"Patient safety is our top priority and we work very hard to ensure incidents are as rare as they possibly can be," she stressed.
This follows reports earlier this month which showed that Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust paid £3.6 million in compensation to a family in 2007 after admitting liability for an incident in which a child was left disabled.
Tags: 1m, Brain Damage, Cerebral Palsy, Clinical Negligence, Epilepsy, Goodwyn, Holly, Inadequate Care, Ipswich Evening Star, Marlborough, Negligence Cases, Nhs Hospital, Nhs Trust, Patient Safety, Rowsell, Spokesperson, Substantial Sum, Swindon, Top Priority
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
November 12th, 2008
A man who fell from a ladder at work could receive up to £1 million in compensation after his employers admitted that they were mostly to blame.
Kantilal Mistry was working for Team Q Maintenance in 2005, fixing an air conditioning unit, the Harrow Times reports.
However, the ladder was only propped against a door and Mr Mistry fell, suffering head injuries when he landed on the ground.
He is now unable to perform many simple activities and is unable to manage his own affairs.
This week, his former employers admitted 80 per cent liability for the incident and it will now be decided how much compensation Mr Mistry will receive, although his lawyers believe it could be in the region of £1 million.
His wife Damini, 41, said: "The accident has caused a great deal of injury to my husband, followed by a great deal of trauma to us all. I have to live with this for the rest of my life and so does he."
All employers are obliged by law to ensure the safety of their employees under a duty of care.
They must provide a safe workplace, safe systems of work, safe equipment and safe fellow employees.
If any safety regulations are breached and an injury occurs, the victim may be eligible for compensation. The Health and Safety Executive will prosecute where appropriate employers that break the law.
Tags: 1 Million, 1m, Air Conditioning Unit, Damini, Duty Of Care, Fellow Employees, Harrow, Head Injuries, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Ladder, Lawyers, Maintenance, Mistry, Rest Of My Life, Safe Systems Of Work, Safety Regulations, Trauma
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
July 31st, 2008
A man who sustained serious injuries when he was struck by a motorist has received compensation of £1,123,676.
He was cycling to work when a disqualified motorbike rider who was being pursued by an unmarked police vehicle hit him.
As a result of the impact, he suffered damage to his right shoulder which has severely affected his ability to use his right arm. In addition, he had to have his right lower leg amputated.
The motorcyclist, meanwhile, died as a result of the injuries he sustained.
Because the biker was disqualified and therefore uninsured, the claim was pursued through the Motor Insurance Bureau.
Established in 1946, the bureau enters into agreements with the government to compensate the victims of negligent, uninsured and untraced drivers.
By virtue of the Road Traffic Act 1988, every insurer that underwrites compulsory motor insurance is legally obliged to contribute to its funding.
Tags: 1m, Accident Victim, Biker, Insurance, Insurer, Motor Insurance Bureau, Motorbike, Motorcyclist, Police Vehicle, Right Arm, Road Accident, Road Traffic Act, Road Traffic Act 1988, Virtue
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
