February 18th, 2011
Paul was suffering from Dypuytren’s Contracture, a condition which affects the hands, causing thickening of the tissues and the fingers to bend into the palm, in his left (non dominant) hand.
Paul attended his GP and was referred to his local treatment centre in Milton Keynes in March 2009 and underwent surgery to release the contracture in May 2009. Paul was then discharged home with pain relief and told to rest and keep his hand elevated. He had also been advised by a nurse to wriggle his fingers.
Paul returned to the treatment centre to have his dressing changed and to have stitches removed on two separate occasions, at neither of these appointments was Paul referred for physiotherapy.
Three weeks following his surgery Paul was continuing to experience pain and swelling in his hand and went to his local Walk in Centre where he was reassured and discharged. At his next appointment at the treatment centre he mentioned this again but was just told to keep wriggling his fingers and that the wound was healing nicely.
Paul returned to his GP on a number of occasions and was referred for further appointments at the treatment centre. He was also referred to a Hand Therapy unit where he was given some exercises and treatments to carry out, but which he found very difficult and painful.
After several sessions Paul went back to his GP and was referred to a different consultant. At this appointment he was informed that he should have had physiotherapy, starting 48 hours after the surgery and that as a result of not having this, the hand had stiffened up.
Paul has since seen a number of specialists and has undergone treatment but continues to suffer pain and is unable to clench his hand in a fist.
Paul contacted Pryers in September 2009 and his claim was managed by Alex McKnight, a clinical negligence specialist. His claim was funded by way of a ‘no win no fee’ agreement.
Pauls claim was investigated and expert evidence was sought from a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. With our investigations and this advice we submitted a Letter of Claim to the Defendant, who responded admitting breach of duty and offering £50,000 to settle in November 2010, which Paul was very happy to accept
The Defendant paid all of Paul’s legal costs so he had nothing to pay during or after the case and kept 100% of his compensation.
Tags: Alex, Appointment, Appointments, Clinical Negligence, Contracture, Dominant Hand, Exercises, Expert Evidence, Fingers, Fist, Gp, Milton Keynes, Nurse, Occasions, Pain Relief, Palm, Physiotherapy, Several Sessions, Stitches, Tissues
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
April 30th, 2010
As a previous volunteer, Marie Brasnett introduced York Cares to the Principal and founder, Ian Pryer, when she joined his firm of York Solicitors over two years ago. Ian was already a huge supporter of giving something back to the community and so readily embraced the concept, which has resulted in 15% of his workforce currently volunteering their services to York Cares projects. Solicitor, Alex McKnight commented on his first voluntary project‘ in 2008, ‘this is the most selfless act I’ve done in the last 35 years!’
The Right to Read scheme appealed to Office Manager Marie and Solicitor Anna Renfree, as both are avid readers and keen for the opportunity to encourage primary children to enjoy the benefits of reading.
Local primary schools are on the receiving end of the ongoing one hourly sessions and have benefited hugely from the experience of having Marie and Anna as their mentors.
In their own words:
Anna –Being a volunteer on the scheme gives the children an opportunity for one2one time with an adult, which they seem to respond well to and it’s so rewarding to see their enthusiasm grow. Reading is both a skill and a pleasure that will open so many doors for them, so I think it’s hugely important to encourage youngsters to want to read from a young age, not just in the classroom, but at home too. I would definitely want to volunteer again.
Marie – I enjoy the whole experience of volunteering and working with the children to help them achieve. It’s so rewarding to know we’re making a difference, especially as you can see the improvement in their reading as the year goes on. Volunteering is beneficial for me too, as reading with the children is a worthwhile respite that enables me to return to work with a clear mind after only an hour away! Volunteering is so easy with York Cares and it’s definitely an enriching experience.
Tags: 35 Years, Adult, Alex, Amp, Doors, Enriching Experience, Hourly Sessions, Mentors, Opportunity, Pleasure, Principal, Pryer, Respite, Selfless Act, Solicitor, Solicitors, Upper Poppleton, Voluntary Project, Volunteer, Volunteering, Workforce, Youngsters
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July 24th, 2009
The families of the victims of a fatal helicopter crash in the North Sea three months ago are taking legal action against the owners of the vehicle.
Two pilots and 14 passengers died in the Super Puma helicopter tragedy in April, when it crashed 11 miles off the coast of Peterhead, the Aberdeen Evening Express reports.
It was recently found that the crash could have been avoided and the victims’ families have now launched multi-million pound compensation claims against Bond Offshore Helicopters’ insurers.
Hearings will now go ahead to assess the claims, but if they are successful, the payouts would take into account the age of the men and the number of dependents they had.
At the time, Scottish first minister Alex Salmon said: "It looks like we might be facing the second worst helicopter support incident in history, in terms of the number of fatalities."
The worst was a Chinook crash in 1986 when 45 people died.
Tags: Aberdeen Evening Express, Alex, April, Chinook Crash, Compensation Claims, Crash Families, Evening Express, Fatal Helicopter Crash, First Minister, Helicopter Support, Helicopters, North Sea, Number Of Dependents, Puma Helicopter, Salmon, Super Puma, Support Incident, Three Months, Tragedy
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
June 30th, 2009
An autistic child who alleges that he was locked in a toilet by his carer has secured compensation.
Alex Berry, now 15, was left in the care of Siobhan Quinn in May 2005 as usual. She looked after the youngster in her own home in Dublin.
However, it is claimed that on this occasion, she left the house and secured 11-year-old Alex in a downstairs toilet while she was away.
Alex suffers from severe autism and cannot be left alone. His father Peter alleges that he arrived at Ms Quinn’s house to find her unlocking the toilet and letting Alex – who was in a distressed state – out.
With the assistance of his family, Alex took legal action against Ms Quinn, as well as Northside Home Care Services (her employer) and the Health Service Executive.
Mr Justice John Quirke ruled Ms Quinn’s behaviour to be "scandalous" and "dreadful".
Although the parties being sued did not admit liability for their negligence, it was agreed that Alex should receive a payout of £42,300 to cover the pain and suffering he was caused.
According to the National Autistic Society, over half a million people in the UK have autism, a figure which equates to around one in 100 people.
Tags: 11 Year Old, Alex, Autism, Autistic Child, Carer, Distressed State, Downstairs Toilet, Dublin, Half A Million, Health Service, Mr Justice, National Autistic Society, Negligence, Pain And Suffering, Quirke, Service Executive, Siobhan, Wins, Youngster
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
