Pyers solicitors recently acted on behalf of a man who sustained injury and damage to his eyes after taking medication prescribed for an unrelated condition. There were issues with regard to the standard of care he received in relation to the poorly monitored prescription of this medication, and also with regard to the failure by his optician to diagnose the signs of macular damage at a time when further deterioration may have been prevented. The Claimant received a substantial sum in settlement of his claim for the damage sustained and to compensate him for the fact that he could no longer continue in his job.
Mother sues care provider after baby’s death
October 30th, 2009
A mother from Birmingham has taken legal action against an out-of-hours medical care provider after her daughter died from meningitis.
Jasvinder Bharj took her six-month-old daughter Amrit to the Badger Medical Service in April 2006 after she developed a fever and a temperature of over 100 degrees C, the Birmingham Mail reports.
However, the doctor on duty sent them home and Ms Bharj claimed the baby was not examined.
Amrit’s condition worsened and she was rushed to Birmingham Children’s Hospital the next day, where she was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis.
She died eight days later after her parents decided to switch off her life support machine.
"I believe Amrit could have been saved if the meningitis had been picked up sooner … I am pursuing a legal case as my solicitor thinks it was unacceptable that signs were missed," Ms Bharj commented.
According to the Meningitis Trust, 20 per cent of pneumococcal meningitis cases will result in death, so early treatment of the disease is essential.
£6.3m settlement for girl injured at birth
April 23rd, 2009
An NHS trust has awarded compensation of £6.3 million to the parents of a girl who was left brain damaged due to mistakes at her birth.
Ellie Matraves was born clinically dead at Lister Hospital in Herfordshire in 2002 because medical staff had not noticed that she was showing signs of distress, the high court heard.
She had to be aggressively resuscitated for several hours and developed cerebral palsy, leaving her with communication problems and a reduced developmental age, the BBC reports.
Her parents Claire and Colin Matraves took legal action against the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust for clinical negligence.
"We feel it is important for people to understand that if it hadn’t been for the hospital’s appalling negligence, our daughter would have been born a healthy non-disabled baby girl," they said in a statement.
The trust admitted liability and has agreed to a £2.4 million lump sum payout, as well as annual payments to cover care for the rest of Ellie’s life.
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.
Payout for family of car accident victim
November 20th, 2008
Compensation has been awarded to the family of a man who died after he was hit by a car.
Tony Gate, a highways worker, was struck by a vehicle being driven by 28-year-old Julie Verrall in 2003 as he put out roadworks signs, Hartlepool Today attests.
Although he survived the crash, he was left with serious brain damage and spent three years in a vegetative state in a nursing home before dying from pneumonia in 2006.
No criminal charges were brought against the driver, but Mr Gate’s family took legal action against her insurers.
They have now agreed to take some responsibility for the incident and have agreed on an undisclosed sum of compensation in an out of court settlement.
Linda Hughes, Mr Gate’s sister, said she was pleased with the new development.
"Tony was never able to tell us what happened on that day and now we feel the final piece of the puzzle has been found," she commented.
According to the Department for Transport, 2,943 people were killed on Britain’s roads in 2007.
