August 24th, 2011
* Richard* sustained an injury to his Achilles tendon which required a plaster cast to be fitted. He complained to his local hospital in Newcastle of suffering from a hot, itchy and painful leg so his plaster was then changed. At this stage it was noted that his leg was bruised and extremely swollen. Richard requested that the hospital perform a scan of his leg but he was reassured that there was no need as his symptoms were normal for Achilles injuries.
Unknown to Richard, he had at this point developed a DVT which went undiagnosed for nine days until he collapsed and was rushed to his local hospital. As a result of the hospital’s failure to diagnose the pulmonary embolism (PE), he had to have a filter inserted for fourteen months and suffered with ongoing shortness of breath.
In September 2008, Richard approached Pryers Solicitors and investigations were commenced. Then in October 2009, Laura Turner, a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence, sent a letter to the Defendant’s setting out the allegations of negligence. In the Letter of Response, the Defendant admitted a breach of duty for failing to diagnose the DVT. However, the Defendant denied that there was any significant injury caused by this failure as Richard had a contra indication to anticoagulation.
Laura Turner undertook research into this area and discovered that some people with contra indication to anticoagulation can be preventively treated for a PE developing. She also found medical evidence to support the argument that at the very least all patients should be admitted and monitored carefully.
In 2011 these further allegations were put to the Defendant followed by an offer to settle the case for £5,000 plus costs, which was accepted.
Tags: Achilles Tendon, Allegations, Anticoagulation, Breach Of Duty, Clinical Negligence, Defendant, Dvt, Failure, Investigations, Laura Turner, Local Hospital, Medical Evidence, Newcastle, Nine Days, Painful Leg, Plaster, Pulmonary Embolism, Shortness Of Breath, Solicitor Specialising, Solicitors
Posted in Clinical Negligence News, News, Personal Injury News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
May 20th, 2011
In April 2009 *Susan* attended her local hospital in the midlands for surgery to repair a hiatus hernia. The surgery itself was uneventful and she awoke from general anaesthetic as expected. Susan was then transferred to a ward, where she did not have any form of hand-over or orientation.
The following morning Susan was in a lot of pain and was prescribed morphine tablets. A short while after taking this Susan began to feel nauseous and had a sudden urge to use the toilet. Susan called for a nurse who told her to wait a minute before going away and not returning.
As Susan was desperate to use the toilet she got out of bed and walked across her room to the toilet. She made her way into the toilet cubicle before fainting. When she regained consciousness she was lying on the floor of the bathroom and had a considerable pain in her ankle.
A nurse then came into the bathroom and found Susan on the floor she was helped back to bed before being sent for an x-ray of her ankle. It was confirmed that Susan had fractured her ankle in a number of places and required surgery to fix the fracture, this was carried out the same day and Susan remained in hospital for a further ten days following surgery.
Susan remained non-weight bearing and in a wheelchair for a total of four weeks and in plaster until June 2009. Susan commenced physiotherapy in July 2009 but continues to have difficulties walking and to have pain in her ankle, especially in cold or damp weather.
In April 2009 Susan contacted Anna Renfree, a specialist clinical negligence solicitor at Pryers Solicitors. Investigations were made into her case and expert evidence was obtained from a care expert on Susan’s mobility difficulties and care needs.
Allegations of the Defendant’s breach of their duty of care were put to the Defendant and this was admitted. Further evidence was then obtained from a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon regarding Susan’s current condition and prognosis. This allowed for detailed valuation of the claim and negotiations to settle commenced.
An offer to settle the case for £12,000 was made by Susan, which was rejected, but after some negotiation Susan was happy to settle the case for £11,000 plus all of her legal costs so she kept 100% of her compensation.
Tags: Allegations, Clinical Negligence Solicitor, Current Condition, Damp Weather, Defendant, Duty Of Care, Expert Evidence, Fracture, General Anaesthetic, Hiatus Hernia, Local Hospital, Lying On The Floor, Mobility Difficulties, Morphine, Nauseous, Plaster, Prognosis, Solicitors, Toilet Cubicle, X Ray
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September 11th, 2009
A woman from Salisbury is to make a compensation claim after tripping on an uneven pavement and breaking a bone in her foot.
Janet Street, 62, told the Salisbury Journal the incident happened because of a drop of one inch in the level of the pavement in Albany Road.
She claimed that the pavement in the area is in a "very bad way".
"My foot is in plaster and I will not be able to work for the next four to six weeks," Mrs Street added.
The sheltered housing worker is now planning to make a compensation claim and has taken photographs of the pavement where the incident occurred to use as evidence.
A recent series of Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats revealed the extent of the problem of poorly-maintained pavements in England.
The requests revealed that local authorities paid out £82 million to settle compensation claims related to injuries caused by uneven pavements between 2004 and 2009.
Tags: Albany Road, Compensation Claim, England, Extent, Freedom Of Information, Information Requests, Janet Street, Liberal Democrats, Local Authorities, Pavements, Personal Injury Compensation, Photographs, Plaster, Quot Quot, Salisbury Journal, Sheltered Housing, Six Weeks, Uneven Pavement, Woman
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February 9th, 2009
A former Premier League footballer is seeking the advice of a solicitor in order to launch a possible compensation claim against an NHS trust.
Jamie Lawrence, 38, suffered a cut to his knee while playing for his current club Harrow Borough in December.
He went to Epsom General Hospital to have it treated and had six stitches to the wound.
However, the cut continued to hurt and began weeping. Upon his return to hospital, Mr Lawrence was told he had contracted the superbug MRSA.
His leg is now in plaster and he has trouble moving around.
"It has been a joke. I am going to see my legal people. I will be taking it further," Mr Lawrence commented.
A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust said he was sorry to hear Mr Lawrence was unhappy with his treatment and encouraged him to get in touch.
Actress Leslie Ash received a record £5 million in compensation in 2008 after suing a London hospital when she contracted MRSA five years ago.
Tags: 5 Million, Actress, Compensation Claim, Current Club, Epsom And St Helier Nhs Trust, General Hospital, Harrow Borough, Jamie Lawrence, Joke, Leslie Ash, London Hospital, Mrsa, Plaster, Premier League, Solicitor, Spokesperson, St Helier Nhs Trust, Stitches, Superbug
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August 18th, 2008
An activity centre has been prosecuted after a child suffered serious injuries while on a school trip, it has been revealed.
Kingswood Learning and Leisure – a provider of education and adventure school trips – was fined a total of £12,000 plus costs of £10,690 as a result of the incident during a hearing at Cromer magistrates’ court.
In April 2007, eight-year-old Mickey Carter-Browne fell six metres from a climbing wall, sustaining a broken ankle and bruising to his pelvis, upper leg and arms as a result.
He subsequently had to spend ten weeks in plaster and a further ten weeks on crutches.
Commenting on the case, Health and Safety Executive inspector Steve Gill said: "This was an unfortunate incident which could have been prevented had the correct safety procedures been followed and the staff undertaking the activities properly trained and supervised."
However, the adventure activities sector in general demonstrates good risk assessment and management practices, he added.
Tags: Adventure Activities, Adventure School, Broken Ankle, Climbing Wall, Crutches, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Magistrates Court, Management Practices, Pelvis, Plaster, Prosecution, Risk Assessment, Safety Procedures, School Trip, School Trips, Steve Gill, Unfortunate Incident, Upper Leg
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