November 2nd, 2009
A hospital trust is facing a compensation claim after it was fined £10,000 when a vulnerable patient in its care fell out of a first-floor window and suffered serious injuries.
North East Essex Primary Care Trust admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act after Charles Preston, a partially-sighted 68-year-old, suffered breaks to his shoulder, pelvis and coccyx when he fell.
The incident occurred at the Clacton & District Hospital in March 2008.
Following the court ruling, Mr Preston has announced his intention to sue the trust.
Kim Wicks, the Health and Safety Executive inspector who investigated the case, said the accident could have been avoided.
"The control measures, in this case window restrictors, to prevent this risk are easy to fit and maintain," she said.
Last week, the Herald reported that student Jonathan Harvey was going to sue Plymouth City Council after he fell 20ft through a broken fence on council property.
Tags: Broken Fence, Case Window, Charles Preston, Clacton, Coccyx, Compensation Claim, Control Measures, East Essex, Health And Safety, Health And Safety At Work, Health And Safety At Work Act, Health And Safety Executive, Hospital Trust, Jonathan Harvey, Pelvis, Plymouth City Council, Primary Care Trust, Safety At Work, Section 3
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
October 23rd, 2009
A man who worked for Morrisons is suing the supermarket chain after suffering horrific injuries in the car park of one of its stores.
Kevin Brookshaw was arriving for a night shift at the Morrisons store in Crewe in December 2006 when the accident occurred, the Crewe Chronicle reports.
As he drove under the car park’s barrier, it suddenly swung forward and crashed through the windscreen of his car.
Mr Brookshaw’s facial injuries were so severe that his wife Pauline did not know him at first. He will never be able to eat or speak properly again and has to be fed through a tube.
"Kevin was literally unrecognisable. His face was entirely split down the middle and covered in blood," Mrs Brookshaw said.
At a recent hearing, Morrisons was fined for breaching health and safety regulations and has admitted liability for Mr Brookshaw’s injuries. It is thought that he will receive a substantial sum in compensation for his pain and suffering.
The supermarket chain said it has since changed the design of the gates on all its stores.
Anyone who is injured on supermarket premises because of the negligence of the occupier may be entitled to make a compensation claim and should seek the advice of a solicitor specialising in personal injury compensation claims.
Tags: Car Park, Chronicle Reports, Compensation Claim, Crewe Chronicle, Facial Injuries, Health And Safety, Horrific Accident, Horrific Injuries, Morrisons Store, Negligence, Night Shift, Occupier, Personal Injury Compensation, Personal Injury Compensation Claims, Safety Regulations, Solicitor Specialising, Substantial Sum, Supermarket Chain, Wife Pauline, Windscreen
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
October 15th, 2009
A widow is considering legal action against an NHS trust after her husband died following an operation.
Joseph Gill, 58, was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in July for a lung cancer operation. However, he was given the wrong medication six times when staff mixed him up with another patient and he fell ill.
Despite this, he was taken in for the surgery to receive part of his lung on July 7th. Complications arose and he died on July 16th.
Eileen Gill, 55, said she blames NHS Grampian for her husband’s death and claims the nurses had called him George and repeatedly given him medication meant for a heart patient.
She is now demanding answers in order to consider pursuing a clinical negligence compensation claim.
"We’ve got a solicitor but can’t do anything until we know what drug he was given," she commented.
A spokesperson for NHS Grampian denied that the medication mix-up had led to Mr Gill’s death but said that lessons had been learnt since the mistakes.
This comes after research from the Care Quality Commission revealed that one in nine of the 392 NHS trusts in the UK performed badly or failed to improve in the last year.
Tags: Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Cancer Operation, Care Quality, Clinical Negligence Compensation, Compensation Claim, Grampian, Heart Patient, Joseph Gill, July 7th, Lung Cancer, Medication, Mr Gill, Nhs Trust, Nhs Trusts, Nurses, Quality Commission, Six Times, Solicitor, Spokesperson
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
October 12th, 2009
A man is seeking compensation from an NHS trust after his wife died due to a series of hospital blunders.
Claire Joel, 28, was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital in October last year so that she could give birth to her daughter, Kent News reports.
However, she experienced difficulties and staff did not react quickly enough, failing to administer antibiotics and delaying her emergency Cesarean. Ms Joel died from an infection five days after giving birth to her child.
The coroner’s statement said: "[There were] gross failures to provide the basic treatment and care that her medical condition required and she died from natural causes contributed to by neglect."
Her husband Mark said he is to pursue a compensation claim against Medway NHS Trust.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that patient Toni Dinan is seeking compensation from Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, alleging that failures in her care led to her baby being stillborn.
Tags: Antibiotics, Compensation Claim, Coroner, Dinan, East Yorkshire, Emergency Cesarean, Giving Birth, Gross, Healthcare Nhs Trust, Hospital Blunders, Kent News, Led, Medical Condition, Medway Maritime Hospital, Neglect, Scarborough, Woman Dies In Hospital, Yorkshire
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
October 12th, 2009
A woman whose leg was unnecessarily amputated after doctors misdiagnosed her with cancer has been awarded a six-figure compensation payout.
Doreen Nicholls, 72, found a lump in her foot and was referred to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham in August 2007.
A team of orthopaedic, radiology and histology medics advised an amputation of her leg below the knee after finding symptoms of a particularly aggressive soft tissue cancer.
However, after the grandmother underwent surgery in October 2007, it was discovered that the swelling had not been cancerous after all.
Ms Nicholls sought legal advice and pursued a compensation claim against the hospital. Although it has not admitted liability, it has agreed to a six-figure payout as part of an out-of-court settlement.
"I shall never forgive the hospital for what they’ve done to me. I just want my leg back, money doesn’t mean a thing," the victim remarked.
According to recent research from Imperial College London, as many as one in six NHS patients is currently being misdiagnosed.
Tags: Amputation, Compensation Claim, Court Settlement, Doctors, Grandmother, Histology, Imperial College London, Legal Advice, Medics, Money, Nhs Patients, Nicholls, Radiology, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Soft Tissue Cancer, Woman
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
