October 28th, 2009
The parents of a girl who was left paralysed after having an operation on her back are suing the hospital where she was treated.
Laura May, now 15, had begun to develop a curvature of the spine when she was 11, the Lancashire Evening Post reports.
The girl’s parents agreed that surgery was necessary and Laura was admitted to Royal Preston Hospital in February 2005.
However, surgeon Roger Battersby Smith got too close to the spinal cord during the procedure and now Laura is unable to move from the chest down.
Christine and William May have taken legal action against Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, alleging that the surgeon did not adequately monitor the distance between his tools and the girl’s spine and was therefore negligent.
The hospital claims it took "reasonable care" to ensure Laura was safe.
Earlier in 2009, the Telegraph reported that three NHS patients every month are now receiving compensation of over £1 million each because of failures in their care in hospital.
Tags: 1 Million, Battersby, Curvature Of The Spine, February 2005, Foundation Trust, Lancashire Evening Post, Nhs Patients, Parents, Reasonable Care, Spinal Cord, Teaching Hospitals, Telegraph
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2009
It has been confirmed that five people are seeking compensation from the owners of a Surrey farm where 64 people suffered E.coli poisoning.
According to the Telegraph, the victims who opt to take legal action against Godstone Farm could be awarded hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation.
Among them is 24-year-old Clare Zahra, who visited the farm in August and fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea.
She said she had to take two weeks off work and has still not managed to go back full-time.
"Becoming ill brought my life to a standstill and I do not think the farm acted quickly enough to protect the public," she added.
Anger mounted after the E.coli outbreak came to light and it emerged that Godstone Farm stayed open for two weeks after the first evidence of the bug, unnecessarily exposing more people to it.
Seven per cent of E. coli victims go on to suffer permanent and severe kidney damage after exposure, according to the BBC.
Tags: Anger, Bbc, E Coli, E Coli Outbreak, First Evidence, Full Time, Hundreds Of Thousands, Kidney Damage, People, Standstill, Surrey Farm, Telegraph, Vomiting And Diarrhoea, Zahra
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September 16th, 2009
The parents of children who fell ill with E. coli poisoning at a Surrey petting farm have expressed anger that it was not closed before the infection began to spread.
Some 37 children were affected by the bug after visiting Godstone Farm in Surrey, with three remaining seriously ill.
However, it has emerged that the farm – which allows children to pet small animals like sheep, goats and pigs – stayed open for two weeks after a case of E.coli first came to light.
According to the Telegraph, the farm could face compensation claims if the children affected suffer long-term damage.
E.coli expert Professor Hugh Pennington said: "Although the risk of it being passed on to humans is small, the effects can be catastrophic in young children."
Indeed, the BBC states that seven per cent of victims go on to suffer permanent kidney damage.
Earlier this month, Carl Riley, who said his life has been ruined after he contracted E. coli on holiday, was awarded £750,000 in compensation from his tour operator.
Tags: Anger, Bbc, Compensation Claims, E Coli, E Coli Outbreak, Expert, Kidney Damage, Parents, Pennington, Petting Farm, Pigs, Professor Hugh, Risk, Sheep Goats, Small Animals, Surrey, Telegraph, Tour Operator
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
September 14th, 2009
A nurse has been awarded compensation after being attacked by a patient who was already known to be dangerous.
Juliet Satterthwaite, 49, was an employee at St Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth in March 2006 and had been put on night shift duty.
She was assigned to watch the unnamed patient with an agency worker because the hospital was short staffed, but the man began to attack her.
Ms Satterthwaite pressed her buzzer, but it did not work and the man was able to get her in a headlock before help arrived.
Her earrings and hair were pulled out and she suffered deep cuts to her face.
An investigation found that the patient should have been watched by two staff members trained in restraint, not simply Ms Satterthwaite.
Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust has now admitted liability and has agreed to pay the victim £6,500 in compensation.
According to the Telegraph, nearly 56,000 NHS staff in England were physically attacked while at work in 2008.
Tags: Buzzer, Deep Cuts, Earrings, England, Gosforth, Headlock, Mental Health Nhs Trust, Newcastle North, Nicholas Hospital, Night Shift, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Nurse, Satterthwaite, St Nicholas, Staff Members, Telegraph
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August 20th, 2009
A flight attendant is suing Boeing and McDonnell Douglas amid claims that a fault on one of its aircraft led to her breathing toxic air.
Terry Williams claims that she had been serving on an American Airlines flight in April 2007 when she noticed a "misty haze type of smoke" in the cabin. Shortly afterwards, she began to suffer a headache, sore throat, a cough and a brightly coloured discharge from her nose.
She went to seek medical advice and was diagnosed as being a victim of toxic exposure.
Ms Williams decided to take legal action against the two companies because she is still suffering from ill effects including blind spots.
It is alleged that a fault in the aeroplane had allowed fumes from the engine to pass though into the cabin with the other circulating air.
Earlier in 2009, the Telegraph reported that University College London had found this phenomenon could be affecting up to 200,000 passengers each year.
Tags: Aeroplane, American Airlines, American Airlines Flight, April 2007, Blind Spots, Boeing, Cough, Flight Attendant, Headache, Ill Effects, Mcdonnell Douglas, Medical Advice, Misty Haze, Ms Williams, Phenomenon, Sore Throat, Telegraph, Toxic Air, Toxic Exposure, University College London
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
