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Medical Negligence and Personal Injury

Rehabilitation

Our team of lawyers are acutely aware of the practical difficulties faced by those who have been injured in an accident or as a result of negligent medical treatment and recognise the importance of early treatment for a speedy recovery.

Our clients often require immediate treatment and support that they cannot access through the NHS or local authority easily, if at all. Unfortunately, as a consequence of their injuries, many are unable to work and have a reduced income. They cannot afford to pay privately for the treatment they need.  We frequently secure early interim payments or funding for treatment and support organised with the help of a case manager under the Rehabilitation Code of Best Practice. This helps to alleviate the day-to-day practical or medical problems that our clients face.

Types of rehabilitation and interim funding that we have arranged recently include a move to more suitable accommodation necessitated by our client’s injuries – either bought and adapted or rented; payments for surgery, physiotherapy, pain management therapy and counselling; and funds for additional domestic assistance so that clients are not always reliant upon family members for the personal care and additional help at the home that they need.

Experience

Recent cases include:

  • The High Court approved a settlement in the sum of £2,750,000 for a man who suffered a significant brain injury after being knocked down by a car in February 2011.  This will provide him with financial security and ensure that he is able to afford the level of care he requires for the remainder of his life.  We were able to secure interim payments as the claim progressed to meet his needs in the interim and our Court of Protection Department will continue to ensure his needs are met through the appointment of deputy from that team.
     
  • We obtained an admission of liability for a child who suffered serious physical, including extensive scarring, and psychiatric injuries as a result of substandard bowel surgery.  We are currently quantifying his substantial claim but have obtained an interim payment to cover the costs of ongoing treatment.
     
  • Our client, the co-founder and director of a distribution company was knocked over as she stood waiting to cross the road.   A motor cycle collided with a car and was thrown into the air and landed on our client.  She suffered devastating multiple orthopaedic  injuries. As a mother of two young children she was unable to care for them.   Her business suffered significant losses as she was unable to work. We secured several interim payments of compensation to fund treatment, domestic assistance, therapeutic treatment and the inevitable additional expenses incurred as a result of her injuries and to recompense her for loss of earnings.  Our client’s family had to move home as she was unable to live in their family accommodation which was over a number of levels; she could not manage stairs.  The settlement was for a very significant 6 figure sum.  We put together a team of experts dealing with the physiological and psychiatric injury suffered and pain specialists to ensure that our client’s rehabilitation was at the highest level available and had to return to work and her pre-accident lifestyle as far as it was achievable given her injuries was maximised.
     
  • Our client sustained spinal cord injury during the course of attempted implantation of the spinal cord stimulator for pain relief.  Prior to the procedure our client had discussed the surgery with the consultant and provided that consultant with imaging taken at other hospitals in previous years. The surgeon declined to view the imaging.    Sadly, when our client came round from the general anaesthetic for the implantation of the spinal cord stimulator he was unable to move his lower limbs.   Expert evidence from a consultant neurosurgeon was critical of the treating surgeons failure to review the available imaging or to arrange pre-operative imaging.  If this had been done it would have confirmed the presence of a long standing pre-existing condition which meant that no attempt should have been made to insert  the spinal cord stimulator at this level.Following months of intensive rehabilitation and ongoing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy our client was fortunate to regain some feeling and a very little movement in his lower limbs although he was unable to walk more than a few steps without support. Our client developed neuropathic pain in both lower limbs. Our client, having led an active independent lifestyle prior to the surgery is now entirely dependent upon his wife.We were successful in recovering a seven figure settlement of this claim which enabled our client to adapt his home so that he was able to continue living there and to enjoy his garden and to employ carers to support his wife.
     
  • Acted for a Polish cyclist who sustained multiple skull fractures and a brain injury after being knocked off her bicycle. An international approach to rehabilitation was facilitated by working closely with the family. A six figure sum was negotiated in settlement of the claim.
     
  • Our client slipped and fell on wet stones at the entrance to a shop. He suffered very serious spinal injury requiring two surgical procedures and was left with very significant pain which impacted on his ability to work and his independence.  The principal injuries were a burst fracture to T10 requiring spinal fixation and surgery at T9 – 11.  His pain continued to be very significant and the Claimant became depressed. He underwent further very invasive reconstruction surgery but unfortunately the pain did not resolve and our client became reliant upon morphine. Eventually he was admitted to hospital to assist in reducing the morphine dependency.  At the time of settlement of his case our client remained on extensive medication including pain relief and antidepressants.  He was able to walk and could drive but all movements were limited by pain as was his ability to sit for long periods and to concentrate.Initially the treatment  and assistance was funded under the Rehabilitation Code of Best Practice and a series of interim payments to replace his income.  At the time of the settlement our client at the age of 57 recovered damages of a seven figure sum taking into account payments made under the Rehabilitation Code of Best Practice.  This is an example of our expertise in catastrophic claims where there are at first what appears to be relatively straight forward orthopaedic injuries but which do not recover as hoped and where there are significant psychiatric  sequelae and ongoing pain.

    Our solicitors are able to quantify our client’s losses as a self employed consultant running his own business.  We  instructed highly regarded forensic accountants who reviewed the accounts and the evidence we had gathered from former and current clients and on the basis of this comprehensive evidence we were able to secure the settlement which would allow our client income for the rest of his life and funds to pay for the assistance he may need in the future.

Please call us on +44 (0)20 7833 4433 to talk you through what your needs are and how we can secure immediate help.

Meet the team

Jon Crocker
Managing Partner

Head of Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Yagmur Ekici
Partner

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Siobhan Kelly
Partner

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Alla Murphy
Partner

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Sally-Jean Nicholes
Senior Consultant

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Tony Taylor
Consultant

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Lucinda Hall
Solicitor

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Megan Owen
Solicitor

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Rosaleen Wyllie
Solicitor

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

How can we help you?

We are here to help. If you have any questions for us, please get in touch below.