September 17th, 2008
A man who was wrongly told he had terminal cancer is considering launching legal action against the hospital responsible for the mistake.
Andy Lees, 72, went into hospital for tests and was told he had cancer of the lungs and liver.
He then spent £6,500 making funeral arrangements, as well as giving £12,000 of his savings to friends and family.
However, he was then told he did not have cancer, but was in fact suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Mr Lees said he has been left penniless by the misdiagnosis.
"We just presumed that the doctor would be right. Now I am broke. I am definitely considering suing the hospital," he commented.
An investigation has now been launched by NHS Lothian as to how the errors occurred.
Clinical negligence occurs when a professional in the health service provides care that is deemed to be below standard and this causes physical injury, death or distress.
Negligence may occur from delay or failure to diagnose a condition, delay or failure to treat a condition, when a treatment goes wrong, use of the wrong treatment, or failure to obtain consent.
Tags: Action Man, Cancer Of The Lungs, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Clinical Negligence, Failure, Friends And Family, Health Service, Injury Death, Launch, Liver, Lothian, Making Funeral Arrangements, Misdiagnosis, Mistake, Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Suffering From, Terminal Cancer
Posted in Clinical Negligence News | No Comments »
September 11th, 2008
A man has been awarded compensation after contracting terminal cancer from his exposure to asbestos.
Roger Plowman, 61, worked at the Carter Design Group in Foxton between 1974 and 1977, the Leicester Mercury reports.
He claims that he had to cut sheets of asbestos on a circular saw and, as a result, inhaled particles of the deadly building material.
Mr Plowman went to the doctor in 2006 suffering from pains in his chest and was diagnosed with the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.
He launched legal action against his former employers and the case has now been settled out of court.
Carter Design Groups is believed to have agreed to a six-figure sum of compensation for Mr Plowman, who is estimated to have only two years to live.
Mr Plowman commented: "It has taken 15 months of struggle to achieve the settlement at a time when I should have been concentrating on other things."
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, they may be able to make a claim for compensation.
Tags: 15 Months, Asbestos Cancer, Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Mesothelioma, Building Material, Cancer Mesothelioma, Carter Design, Circular Saw, Design Group, Design Groups, Early 1900s, Figure Sum, Foxton, Health Hazard, Leicester Mercury, Negligence, Particles, Plowman, Six Figure, Terminal Cancer
Posted in Personal Injury News | No Comments »
