Settlement Secures Future Care For Stockton Man
Brain Damaged at Birth
08/10/2008
A young man from Stockton has today received a multi-million pound settlement after mistakes left him severely brain damaged at birth.
Chad Willis, 18, was born at North Tees General Hospital in February 1990. However, a series of errors by hospital staff involved in delivering him left Chad brain damaged and in need of round-the-clock care for the rest of his life.
Chad's mother Melanie Willis was induced four weeks early as she was known to have moderate to severe pre eclampsia – when high blood pressure occurs during pregnancy which can cause serious complications.
Throughout the morning prior to the delivery medical staff carried out several tests and found a number of abnormalities with Chad's CTG test – which monitors foetal heartbeats. However, when Chad was born there was no doctor present, he was not breathing and as a result of a severe loss of oxygen, he was left severely brain damaged.
A settlement of £5.684million was reached today to ensure Chad can receive the specialist care and support he needs for the rest of his life. The settlement includes a £2.36 million lump sum and an annual payment of £106,000 for the rest of Chad’s life.
The hearing ended a 15-year battle by the Willis family to secure adequate levels of support for Chad – they were able to make significant progress after securing the help of north east law firm Irwin Mitchell in 2005.
Mrs Willis said: "My first thoughts are ones of relief – that after 15 years of fighting the NHS for Chad he will now have the funds for all his needs for the rest of his life.
"Chad is a wonderful boy and I am very proud of him and all that he has achieved in his life so far, but it is heartbreaking that he has suffered in this way through sheer carelessness on the part of the medical staff who should have been looking after him.
"After the birth Chad was intubated and he pinked up. He breathed spontaneously after 20 minutes. He was then transferred to the special care baby unit where he stayed for nearly two weeks.
"The next morning my husband and I were informed that Chad had suffered from a severe lack of oxygen and that only time would tell how he would develop in the future. I was devastated, numb and shocked and felt very anxious seeing Chad wired up to all the tubes and monitors.
"If the medical team had acted sooner after finding the complications and I had been given a caesarean Chad would not have suffered any of these injuries."
John Davis, a solicitor at Irwin Mitchell specialising in cases such as Chad’s said: "No amount of money can compensate for what Chad has lost and what the family has been through. However, this settlement has been carefully calculated to ensure Chad and his family have all the care and support they need.
"Doctors were aware that Mrs Willis suffered from pre-eclampsia and that Chad was her first child so she should have been considered high risk and monitored closely.
"Errors were made throughout Mrs Willis’ labour, all of which could have been prevented."