November 4th, 2009
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has issued a warning to remind people to take care during Bonfire Night.
It urged those hosting bonfires and fireworks displays to think about the safety of their spectators.
Nicola Butters, RoSPA’s home safety development officer in Scotland, said: "In previous years, about 1,000 people across Britain have had to go to hospital because they’ve been injured by a firework during the four weeks around Bonfire Night.
"Nearly half of such injuries are sustained at family or private parties."
She added that only adults should be allowed to set off fireworks and people needed to factor in the possibility of wet and windy conditions.
In another accident-prevention tip, the RoSPA urged party organisers not to use petrol or paraffin to light bonfires, but to stick to fire lighters instead.
The Liverpool Echo has reported that police are to man a fire engine in the city on Bonfire Night in an attempt to cut down on anti-social behaviour related to the event.
Tags: 000 People, Accident Prevention, Adults, Bonfire Night, Fire Engine, Firework, Fireworks Displays, Home Safety, Light Bonfires, Lighters, Liverpool Echo, Prevention Tip, Previous Years, Private Parties, Rospa, Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents, Scotland, Social Behaviour, Spectators, Windy Conditions
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January 8th, 2009
A woman who is suffering with the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma is suing the council responsible for her old school after claiming that she was exposed to the deadly building material there.
The unnamed 48-year-old has launched legal action against Knowsley council, claiming that a refit of Bowring Comprehensive during the 1970s led to dangerous levels of asbestos in the air.
"I have been very poorly with the illness. I hope no other pupils end up in the same boat as me," she commented to the Liverpool Echo, adding that she has undergone extensive chemotherapy and surgery since her diagnosis in 2007.
A spokesperson for Knowsley council said it intends to contest the woman’s claims.
Exposure to asbestos has been recognised as a health hazard since the early 1900s, although many workers were exposed to the substance decades after this.
If a person can prove they were exposed to asbestos as a result of negligence, they may be able to make a claim for compensation as a result.
Tags: 1970s, Asbestos Cancer, Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Mesothelioma, Building Material, Cancer Mesothelioma, Chemotherapy, Dangerous Levels, Decades, Diagnosis, Early 1900s, Health Hazard, Knowsley Council, Liverpool Echo, Negligence, Old School, Pupils, Spokesperson, Woman
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January 5th, 2009
A child who was born severely disabled is to be awarded compensation by the hospital his mother always claimed was responsible.
Stephen Loraine was born in August 2000, but was starved of oxygen in the womb and developed spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, the Liverpool Echo reports.
This is a condition which affects all four limbs and is categorised by symptoms including jerky movements and difficulties in walking, speaking and sitting unaided.
His mother Pauline claimed that staff at Arrowe Park hospital should have checked records of her previous births, which would have showed a fibroid in her womb and would have resulted in Stephen being delivered more quickly.
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust has reconsidered plans to appeal against a high court decision to award compensation and it will now pay Stephen a significant amount to cover his long-term care.
"This will make such a difference to Stephen’s life and that’s all I want. We have no ramps and to be able to move him from room to room or get him out in the garden will be brilliant," Ms Loraine commented.
Tags: Arrowe Park Hospital, Births, Cerebral Palsy, Court Decision, Fibroid, Hospital Nhs Trust, Jerky Movements, Liverpool Echo, Long Term Care, Loraine, Mother Pauline, Oxygen, Ramps, University Teaching Hospital, Womb
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July 21st, 2008
A child who was starved of oxygen while being born has been awarded a significant compensation payout, it has been reported.
Stephen Loraine, seven, from Rock Ferry now requires 24-hour care after suffering spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and impaired sight as a result of the blunder, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Medical staff at the hospital failed to notice that Stephen’s mother, Pauline, had a "fibroid" in her womb and had endured a previous breech delivery.
The high court ruled on Friday (July 18th) that had Ms Loraine been kept in hospital, the massive bleeding that starved Stephen of oxygen could have been prevented.
Ms Loraine, who has given up her job to care for her son, commented: "We are so relieved. A court case is stressful enough, but when the future of your child is at stake, it is the most important thing in the world."
Unite members at Arrowe recently voted to take industrial action following changed to the way wages are paid.
Tags: 24 Hour, Blunder, Breech Delivery, Cerebral Palsy, Court Case, Job, July 18th, Liverpool Echo, Loraine, Medical Staff, Mother Pauline, Oxygen, Rock Ferry, Stake, Wages, Womb
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
