Our Clients, Sarah and Nigel Collier, the parents of an eight-year old boy left severely disabled after mistakes made during his birth have won a legal battle to provide for his life-long care.
The Colliers instructed medical negligence solicitors from Irwin Mitchell's Newcastle office to make a claim against Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. Their son, Joel, was left with cerebral palsy after suffering more than an hour of foetal distress during his birth.
Jennifer Cawthorne, a medical negligence specialist at Irwin Mitchell represented the Colliers. She has secured a compensation settlement which will provide the support that Joel needs for the rest of his life. He now needs round-the-clock care.
The terms of the compensation settlement were agreed at the High Court in Newcastle. Joel will now receive annual payments for the rest of his life to ensure his care needs are met.
Mr Collier said the family had been initially reluctant to take legal action. He believes that their hand was forced by the lack of support they received from social services, which meant getting the help Joel needed was a constant battle.
Sarah had enjoyed a trouble-free pregnancy with Joel, who was her second child. Joel was born at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead on January 27th 2002. During labour, Joel's heart rate dropped significantly and he had to be delivered using forceps. After he was born, Joel needed to be resuscitated and later tests showed that he had been asphyxiated.
Nigel added: “The legal case has been, at times, very upsetting but Jennifer Cawthorne at Irwin Mitchell has been so helpful and supportive throughout. I would strongly advise anyone agonising as we did to go ahead with a claim, in order to access the vital support and resources needed to make life as 'normal' as it could be, had their child been born healthy and without mistakes.”