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 6th, 2009
A man who worked as a labourer in London during the 1970s has secured a compensation payout from his former employers after going on to develop an industrial disease as a pensioner.
James McGovern, now 73, worked for John Mowlem, where his roles included rebuilding the King William Street Bridge and removing roof sheets that, unbeknown to him, were lined with asbestos.
He is now suffering from the asbestos-induced cancer mesothelioma.
Mr McGovern launched legal action against Mr Mowlem, who initially denied the allegations.
However, two days before the case was due to go to trial, the company admitted liability and has agreed to an undisclosed payout for Mr McGovern.
His legal representative said the compensation was a "huge relief" for Mr McGovern given that his elderly wife would not be able to care for him in the late stages of his cancer.
Meanwhile, new research published in the British Journal of Cancer has stated that as many as one in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s could die from mesothelioma after their exposure to asbestos.
Tags: 1940s, 1970s, Allegations, Asbestos, British Journal Of Cancer, Cancer Mesothelioma, Carpenters, Elderly Wife, James Mcgovern, John Mowlem, King William Street, Labourer, Legal Representative, London, Pensioner, Roof Sheets, Street Bridge
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
March 3rd, 2009
The partner of an airman who died when his plane crashed in Afghanistan is seeking compensation of up to £2 million from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
According to the Scotsman, Laura Robson had moved in with Flight Lieutenant Steven Swarbrick in March 2006.
He was killed in September of the same year when the Nimrod he was travelling in crashed due to a technical failure near Kandahar.
However, Ms Robson was told that she will not receive compensation for her loss because the pair had not been in a "substantial relationship".
She has now launched legal action against the MoD in order to claim what she believes she deserves from his estate and war pension.
Her legal representative said that the MoD should pay out more to the families of deceased servicemen, since their UIS counterparts would receive millions under the same circumstances.
Last month, it was reported in the Derby Evening Telegraph that a woman is seeking damages of up to £300,000 after her husband Paul Jennings was killed in a car crash while working for the MoD.
Tags: Airman, Car Crash, Circumstances, Counterparts, Damages, Derby Evening Telegraph, Flight Lieutenant, Girlfriend, Kandahar, Legal Representative, Ministry Of Defence, Nimrod, Paul Jennings, Robson, Scotsman, Substantial Relationship, Swarbrick, Technical Failure, War Pension
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
February 18th, 2009
A man who suffered permanent injuries after an accident at work is to receive £450,000 compensation after a high court hearing.
Michael John Brand, 46, was working for BOCM Pauls and Roy Allen (Engineering) in Bury St Edmunds in 2004, the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press reports.
He was on a warehouse roof clearing moss and debris when he slipped and fell five metres through a skylight.
Mt Brand landed on a concrete floor and suffered severe brain injuries, as well as a laceration to his liver, a fractured pelvis and a punctured lung.
The brain injury caused permanent personality changes and his is still living in a rehabilitation unit because he cannot live independently.
His legal representative said he pursued the claim "to highlight the importance of employers carrying out proper risk assessments and ensuring sufficient health and safety procedures are in place."
According to the Health and Safety Executive, the rate of major injury in construction is the highest of any main industry group at 599.2 per 100,000 workers.
Tags: Allen Engineering, Bocm Pauls, Brain Injuries, Brain Injury, Bury St Edmunds, Catastrophic Injuries, Concrete Floor, Eastern Daily Press, Fractured Pelvis, Health And Safety Executive, Health And Safety Procedures, High Court Hearing, Laceration, Legal Representative, Personality Changes, Proper Risk, Punctured Lung, Rehabilitation Unit, Risk Assessments, Roy Allen
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
January 29th, 2009
A man who injured himself after falling from a ladder at work has secured a compensation settlement of £118,500.
The individual, who has not been named, was working for Portchester Plastics Decorators as a painter and decorator in Brighton at the time of the accident.
Although a scaffolding tower had been provided, the employee believed it to be unsafe and instead used a stepladder to reach high areas that he needed to paint.
However, he fell ten feet from the ladder and suffered a fractured leg, an injury which has left him reliant on a mobility scooter to leave the house. He has also undergone numerous operations.
The victim sought legal action and has now secured the payout, which his legal representative said should help to alleviate the "severe disruption and stress" the injury caused.
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, every employer should make sure that work is not carried out at height when it can be successfully carried out at ground level.
Where work at height is carried out, employers are legally obliged to take adequate steps to prevent falls.
Tags: Adequate Steps, Brighton, Decorators, Disruption, Fractured Leg, Ladder, Legal Representative, Mobility Scooter, Painter And Decorator, Plastics, Scaffolding, Stepladder, Stress, Ten Feet
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
