July 20th, 2009
A man who was exposed to asbestos during his time as a hospital plumber is to receive £175,000 in compensation.
Alan Ward, 61, developed cancer of the lung lining recently and now may only have months to live.
He took legal action against the unnamed hospitals in Wakefield, where he worked between 1964 and 1972.
Mr Ward claimed that his employers had never explained the dangers of asbestos and had allowed their workers to remove panels of it without masks.
This week, he has been awarded compensation to assist him with his everyday needs in the coming months.
"I am pleased to have received compensation, as it will help cover the cost of living when my health fails further," he commented to the Telegraph.
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 as Mr Ward did, they may be able to make a claim for compensation as a result.
Tags: Alan Ward, Asbestos, Cancer Of The Lung, Decades, Early 1900s, Exposed, Health Hazard, Hospitals, Masks, Mr Ward, Negligence, Plumber, Telegraph, Wakefield
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June 16th, 2009
A woman who had to give up her job as a teacher after a tree branch fell on her is suing the Environment Agency for up to £300,000.
Doreen Prior, 58, was walking through the East Sussex nature reserve Barcombe Mills in April 2007 when an ash branch fell on her head, the Telegraph attests.
She suffered fairly serious injuries and has been left with memory problems and exhaustion. For this reason, she had to give up her job as a secondary school geography teacher.
Ms Prior said she has decided to take legal action against the Environment Agency, claiming that it had failed its duty to the public by not spotting and removing the dangerous bough.
"I’m just so worried this could happen to a child," she commented.
The Environment Agency declined to comment.
According to figures from the Health and Safety Executive, three people each year are killed by falling trees in public places.
Tags: Ash Branch, Barcombe Mills, Bough, East Sussex, Environment Agency, Exhaustion, Geography Teacher, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Job, Memory Problems, Nature Reserve, School Geography, Secondary School, Sussex, Teacher Ms, Telegraph, Trees, Woman
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April 14th, 2009
The family of a woman who died after an operation is to receive a compensation payout of £55,000 after it was ruled that her death had been preventable.
Kathleen Doherty, then 29, went into the Royal Preston Hospital in March 2006 to have her gall bladder taken out, the Lancashire Evening Post reports.
However, she began to bleed internally afterwards, a fact that was not noticed by hospital staff.
Ms Doherty died a few hours later and her family went on to launch a clinical negligence claim.
The coroner ruled that medics had not properly monitored Ms Doherty and said that had they been checking her, she would not have died.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has agreed to a payout of £55,000 and has apologised to the family, adding that it has addressed issues within the hospital since the death.
Ms Doherty’s mother Frances said: "All I wanted was justice for Kathleen, and to make sure this never happens to anyone else. I hope the hospital have learned from it."
According to the Telegraph, almost 500 people have been seriously disabled by the lack of care they have received in hospital since the Clinical Negligence Scheme for NHS Trusts was established 13 years ago.
Tags: 13 Years, Clinical Negligence, Coroner, Family Of Woman, Gall Bladder, Hospital Staff, Kathleen Doherty, Lancashire Evening Post, Medics, Mother Frances, Negligence Claim, Nhs Trusts, Teaching Hospitals, Telegraph
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March 19th, 2009
A woman who worked as a dinner lady is seeking hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation after she was seriously injured by a student who was playing tag.
Michelle Orchard was walking along a footpath at Corfe Hills School in Dorset in 2004 when 13-year-old Sebastian Lee stumbled and ran into her, the Telegraph reports.
The back of his head hit her face and she suffered a brain injury, partially paralysing her and breaking her nose and teeth.
Ms Orchard has been unable to return to work and said she still suffers seizures following the incident, which she said changed her life forever.
She took her case to London’s court of appeal, but Lord Justice Waller, Lord Justice Rimer and Lord Justice Aikens have reserved their decision regarding compensation to a later date.
Anyone who suffers a personal injury as a result of an accident that was not their fault should seek legal action within three years of the event in order to be eligible for compensation.
Tags: Aikens, Brain Injury, Corfe Hills School, Court Of Appeal, Dinner Lady, Dorset, Footpath, Hundreds Of Thousands, London, Lord Justice, Orchard, personal injury, Rimer, Sebastian, Seizures, Teeth, Telegraph, Woman
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March 18th, 2009
Three NHS patients every month are now receiving compensation of more than £1 million each because of failures in their care in hospital.
According to the Telegraph, almost 500 people have been seriously disabled by the lack of care they have received in hospital since the Clinical Negligence Scheme for NHS Trusts was established 13 years ago.
Groups representing patients have blamed "negligence, incompetence or carelessness" within the NHS for the increase in people being forced to make a claim to pay for their long-term care.
The biggest sum of compensation according to official records was £12.4 million, which was paid to Kerstin Parkin.
She was left brain damaged following errors made by staff during the birth of her baby and could not be resuscitated because the crash team did not have the security code for the emergency room door.
In order for a clinical negligence claim to be successful, a solicitor must establish that the surgeon breached a duty of care agreement between him or her and the patient.
Anyone who is unsure about a particular incident should seek legal advice.
Tags: 1 Million, 13 Years, Brain, Carelessness, Clinical Negligence, Crash Team, Duty Of Care, Emergency Room, Groups, Hospital Negligence, Incompetence, Legal Advice, Long Term Care, Negligence Claim, Nhs Patients, Nhs Trusts, Security Code, Solicitor, Telegraph
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