Brain injury following epidural incident

A was involved in a road traffic accident, and was taken to A&E with a fractured sternum and ribs. He underwent an epidural infusion and a few days later suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest, that resulted in severe brain damage.

A now suffers with significant behavioural issues, poor dexterity in his hands, and difficulty walking. There is little chance he will be able to work again, or be able to take care of himself.

Our approach

We argued that the epidural infusion was carried out negligently, and that it resulted in the cardiac arrest.

The outcome

After calling on medical experts and psychologists to support our argument, we secured a payout of £2 million for A, which is to be used to help sustain his quality of life.

The case in detail

A was involved in a road traffic accident following which he was taken to his local A&E Department. He was found to have sustained a fractured sternum and fractured ribs. Some days later he sustained an unexpected cardiac arrest related to a pump incident which resulting in him sustaining severe brain damage. He was previously the head of the family and the breadwinner. Following his brain injury he was left with poor hand dexterity, significant behavioural problems and left to his own devices, he did very little, he was forgetful and irritable. His walking was poor and he could not be left alone for more than an hour or so. It was also unlikely that he would be able to undertake any kind of work and there were no real prospects of any Neurological improvement.

Following in-depth investigations by the expert team at Minton Morrills it was possible to secure an admission of liability from the hospital involved. Detailed enquiries were then required to enable the claim to be quantified. It was necessary to involve experts in the fields of Neurology, Clinical Psychology, Accommodation issues, Care and Occupational Therapy. Both parties then entered into negotiations. Initial offers were rejected and finally A accepted the sum of £2,000.000.00 which was approved by the Court.