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Limb injuries, including amputations, that occur because of medical negligence, often result in very high awards of financial compensation, sometimes in excess of £1 million. If you or someone you know has suffered from an avoidable limb injury you need a team of expert Injury solicitors to investigate whether you are entitled to substantial limb damage compensation. Contact us today to speak directly to our lawyers.
A limb injury involves damage to either the arms or legs. An injury can occur for many different reasons including an accident or, in the context of medical negligence, a delay in the diagnosis of a problem, like an infection or diabetes, or inappropriate treatment such as sub-standard surgery, leading to amputation.
If you or a loved one have been affected by one of these injuries, then you should speak to our team immediately about whether you can start a limb injury claim.
We have acted for clients pursuing a range of different limb injury NHS and Private Compensation claims for clinical negligence. These usually fall into the following broad categories. We have set out Case Studies for each of these:
Steven injured himself playing football. He felt a snap just above his left ankle. This caused him a lot of pain and subsequently became swollen.
Steven attended his local Hospital’s A&E department and was diagnosed as suffering from a torn calf muscle. He was advised to go home and rest.
His ankle remained swollen and painful so Steven attended his GP some months later and was found to have suffered a serious tear of his Achilles tendon. He required urgent surgical repair but despite this, because the injury was not diagnosed and treated when it first occurred, his left leg never fully recovered and Steven was left with a permanent disability.
We successfully obtained just under £70,000 for Steven for his disability and loss of earnings after the Hospital admitted sub-standard treatment.
Rachel had minor surgery on her right leg at Hospital. She was discharged the following day but her leg started to become swollen and uncomfortable 3 weeks later. Her GP sent her back to the surgeon at Hospital for review for possible compartment syndrome.
Compartment syndrome is where there is bleeding and/or swelling in a confined area of muscle. If this is not treated urgently the blood flow to that area can be restricted causing permanent muscle and nerve injury.
Rachel’s surgeon ruled out compartment syndrome and sent her home; however, 2 days later, with her symptoms worsening, Rachel was seen by another doctor at Hospital, and compartment syndrome was diagnosed. She required emergency surgery (a fasciotomy) to relieve the extensive pressure within her right leg, including subsequent skin grafts. Despite this, Rachel suffered considerable damage to the nerves in her right leg.
We investigated Rachel’s claim. Our independent expert concluded that there was a clear 2 day delay in diagnosis of Compartment Syndrome by Rachel’s treating surgeon which was negligent. Had the diagnosis been made at the correct time, Rachel would have undergone an immediate fasciotomy to relieve the pressure from compartment syndrome. She would then have avoided the life-long injuries to her right leg.
Rachel’s mobility was significantly affected by this delay in diagnosis and a substantial NHS Compensation claim was secured to reflect the change in lifestyle with her family and in her career that this caused.
In some rare situations, inappropriate or poorly performed surgical procedures can result in limb injuries. During surgery, delicate nerves, muscles and tendons as well as arteries and veins can be unintentionally damaged or, often when treating cancer, for example, deliberately sacrificed in order to try and remove tumours. Such damage can cause long term and permanent injury to limbs.
Read how we can help with Surgical Errors compensation
Read our Limb Injury Compensation Claims Case Studies
Yes, there is often treatment available for limb injuries but this usually needs to be performed straight-away to prevent long term disability. Most medical negligence compensation claims focus on delays in diagnosis and treatment and what a patient’s outcome would have been had they received better earlier care.
At the outset, our Limb Injury solicitor will speak with you and find out exactly what has happened. If it is felt that an avoidable injury has been sustained because of an accident or poor medical care (including a delay in diagnosis) we will fully investigate a medical negligence compensation claim. We do this by instructing top independent medical experts to report on what has happened.
NHS or private hospital litigation can be complex so it is important that you speak to and instruct specialist and experienced medical negligence solicitors.
When someone suffers an accident or medical treatment goes wrong and causes a limb injury and subsequent losses it is crucial to speak with a professional, experienced and specialist medical negligence solicitor to help you.
The medical negligence team at Minton Morrill has this experience and its team of solicitors specialise solely in this complex area of law. Our team have more accredited panel members (5) on the AvMA and Law Society clinical negligence scheme than any other law firm handling clinical negligence claims in Leeds or surrounding area as well as a national presence acting for clients across the country such as Kent, Hampshire and Cumbria.
Our medical negligence team is top ranked in the Tier 1 category in the prestigious Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners annual reviews in recognition of their medical negligence work. The department is described as “One of the market leaders” noted for “achieving high-value settlements” in birth injury claims and also for its “superb reputation for handling a wide range of clinical negligence claims”.
The department is led by Simon Minton. Simon and Julia Morrill are both recognised as the only two Leading Individuals for clinical negligence in the Leeds area. The other department members: Susan Bartfield, Sahida Patel and Guy Pomphrey all have a wealth of experience. Speak to our team today to work towards succeeding with your limb injury claim.
Minton Morrill also has a leading Court of Protection department (led by Julia Morrill) to assist injured children, adults and their families manage and access compensation money held by the Courts should they require help with this.
Being a victim of negligence is extremely distressing for those directly affected and their families. We offer a bespoke and personal service to all of our clients because we recognise and understand how important it is for your case to be handled in a sensitive manner. We are not a “claims processing factory” and our team of solicitors only take on a smaller number of total cases in order to be able to meet the high standards we set for ourselves.
The amount of financial compensation someone will receive for an avoidable Limb injury will be determined by the location and severity of the injury. If a limb injury claim can be substantiated, general damages for a claimant’s pain, suffering and loss of amenity will likely be pursued: the loss of an arm (amputated from the shoulder) will likely be over £100,000 and a below the knee amputation is likely to result in loss of limb compensation over £150,000 for general damages, for example.
In addition to this, our team of limb injury solicitors will consider other compensation called special damages to assess how a Claimant’s life has been changed by an avoidable injury. This part of the damages claim will be affected by the age of the client, their underlying health, employment and family situation. This is one of the key reasons we provide a bespoke service to every client to make sure they receive the maximum limb damage compensation for their needs, now and in the future.
We pride ourselves on this standard of service for all our limb injury claims.
Orthopaedic Negligence Claims cover a wide range of medical areas, including limb injuries, but can also include, for example, spinal injuries, hand, shoulder and elbow injuries, surgical errors and hip or knee replacement problems.
We offer a range of different funding options to pursue a medical negligence compensation claim. Our team of limb injury lawyers will carefully assess the options available and advise you, clearly, what is the best option for you.
If you or someone you know has suffered a limb injury and would like to discuss this and speak to our solicitors about a potential negligence claim for limb damage compensation.
Please contact Minton Morrill’s specialist team today on 0113 245 8549.
Alternatively, you can use our simple contact forms to Ask Us a Question or tell us How Can We Help?
Some of Our Successful Orthopaedic Claims
