September 1st, 2009
One of the victims of the toxic sofa furore has been paid compensation, making him the first person in Britain to receive a payout.
Maurice Heminsley, 68, bought a sofa from a retailer called Furniture Warehouse in Dudley in November 2007, but suffered serious chemical burns to his neck, back and legs, the Birmingham Mail reports.
It emerged that the store was one of many – including Argos and Land of Leather – that imported chairs from China which were impregnated with the anti-fungus chemical dimethyl fumarate. This caused terrible skin damage and some victims had to be hospitalised.
Thousands of consumers launched legal action against the stores and Mr Heminsley’s has now become the first case in which the store has admitted liability. It has agreed to an undisclosed compensation payout for his pain and suffering.
"The settlement means I can now put this really painful episode in the past and move on with my life. However, I’m annoyed that more wasn’t done to protect consumers," he commented.
The other stores involved with claims may now follow suit, meaning that the toxic sofa victims could share a £10 million payout.
Tags: 10 Million, Argos, Birmingham Mail, Chairs, Chemical Burns, China, Consumers, Dudley, First Person, Fungus, Furniture Warehouse, Furore, Land Of Leather, Legs, Mail Reports, Pain And Suffering, Skin Damage, Sofa
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
August 27th, 2009
Two care firms which were held responsible for the death of a disabled man after leaving him alone in the bath have offered his family compensation.
Turning Point Scotland and Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association were both fined after the incident, which saw 44-year-old Billy Thomson suffer 40 per cent burns to his body.
He later died from multiple organ failure, the Glasgow Sunday Mail reports.
In a new development, the two companies have offered Mr Thomson’s relatives £40,000 in compensation.
The victim’s brother James said: The family will give this careful consideration."
A spokesperson for Sanctuary Scotland said that the organisation extends its deepest sympathies to the family.
Anyone who suffers a personal injury or harm as a result of negligence from nursing home staff or home care workers may be able to make a compensation claim and should seek specialist legal advice.
For a claim to succeed, it must be proven that the level of care fell below that which could be reasonably expected.
Tags: Brother James, Careful Consideration, Compensation Claim, Death Victim, Deepest Sympathies, Home Staff, Housing Association, Legal Advice, Mail Reports, Mr Thomson, Negligence, Nursing Home, Organ Failure, personal injury, Sanctuary, Scotland Housing, Spokesperson, Sunday Mail, Turning Point Scotland
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
August 18th, 2009
A former head teacher has won his fight for compensation against a local council after being injured in a cliff fall.
David Howard-Jones was the head of Ogwen Cottage Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Snowdonia, but fell off a cliff and into the sea in July 2004, the Birmingham Mail reports.
He suffered hearing loss and damage to his vision, as well as orthopaedic problems and a snapped cruciate ligament.
Mr Howard-Jones was forced to take early retirement in 2005 and launched a compensation claim against the local council.
Although it initially denied liability and said the victim had been negligent because he walked too close to the cliff’s edge, Mr Howard-Jones has now won an appeal against the verdict.
A spokesperson for the council said it will now decide how much compensation to offer.
Natural England is currently lobbying parliament for the adoption of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which would allow open access to all of Britain’s coasts, the Ecologist attests.
Tags: Adoption, Coastal Access, Coasts, Compensation Claim, Early Retirement, Ecologist, England, Head Teacher, Hearing Loss, Howard Jones, Ligament, Local Council, Mail Reports, Open Access, Orthopaedic Problems, Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Parliament, Plunge, Snowdonia, Spokesperson
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
August 10th, 2009
The pharmacy department of a Burton supermarket has been criticised after an elderly woman became the victim of two prescription errors.
Maria Madera, 81, always collected her Minim eye drops from her local Asda but on the first occasion, she was wrongly given Atropine, a different kind of medication, the Burton Mail reports.
She put the drops in and was temporarily blinded. Her granddaughter Krystine Strama-Rolfe said that she now suffers from depression and is reluctant to leave the house.
Asda then made the same error again a short time later, but Ms Madera’s family noticed and she did not put the drops in.
The supermarket apologised unreservedly for the mistakes and offered the victim £1,500 in compensation, but she has rejected the offer until it is increased to £3,000.
Atropine is a drug obtained from plant extracts that is administered to relax muscles by inhibiting nerve responses, whereas Minims are simply used to reduce dryness on the surface of the eye, Medterms.com attests.
Tags: Asda, Atropine, Blunders, Burton Mail, Criticised, Elderly Woman, Eye Drops, Eye Prescription, First Occasion, Granddaughter, Madera, Mail Reports, Nerve, Pharmacy Department, Plant Extracts, Prescription Errors, Short Time, Strama, Supermarket
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
May 26th, 2009
The family of a woman who died from meningitis after her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed by doctors is preparing to take legal action against the NHS trust its members hold responsible.
Karen Finan fell ill on April 12th and her husband Darren called her GP for a home visit. He diagnosed gastroenteritis and said she would soon recover.
However, her symptoms worsened and she began to suffer with a fever and severe headaches, the Daily Mail reports.
Despite Mr Finan calling out another doctor, his wife was still not diagnosed and the family was told to "stop fussing" and put her to bed where she would recover.
The young mother’s condition worsened and she eventually slipped into a coma. Although she was rushed to hospital, her brain had swollen and the decision was made to switch off her life support machine five days after she first fell ill.
"They say with meningitis that every hour is critical – the longer they misdiagnosed Karen the more she was slipping away from us. We have been robbed," said Mr Finan.
A spokesperson for NHS Wakefield said the trust is investigating the incident and the proposed legal action from Ms Finan’s family.
According to statistics published by the Meningitis Trust, 500,000 people in the UK have had some form of meningitis at one time in their lives.
Tags: Brain, Daily Mail, Doctors, Family Statistics, Fever, Finan, Gp, Life Support Machine, Mail Reports, Meningitis Symptoms, Nhs Trust, Severe Headaches, Spokesperson, Trust 500, Wakefield, Young Mother, Young Woman
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
