Our London medical negligence team helped a client to recover compensation after a GP failed to identify a haemorrhage.
During the night, our client suffered a severe sudden headache and vomiting. The next day our client’s GP made a home visit and, after examining our client, advised analgesics. The GP noted that our client did not appear ill enough to have a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Just three days later our client collapsed. This was due to a large subarachnoid haemorrhage and she was left in a minimally aware state.
Our client was left with severe brain damage and is now in a private care home.
Our client’s family contacted lawyers at Irwin Mitchell who, after investigating the case, issued court proceedings. The defendant contested liability on the grounds that our client was apparently not that ill and so it was reasonable to rule out a subarachnoid haemorrhage. It was also argued that our client was not showing signs of a subarachnoid haemorrhage and that she would probably still have been left with some cognitive impairment even if she had been immediately referred to hospital.
We contacted some medical experts who provided evidence that refuted the defendant’s claims. The expert evidence suggested that our client should have been referred immediately to hospital.
It was also suggested by experts that had our client been referred immediately to hospital, the CT scan and lumbar puncture with subsequent angiography that would have been performed, would have found the right posterior communicating artery aneurism before the haemorrhage. The medical experts proposed that there was a greater than 80% chance of a full and uneventful recovery had our client been immediately referred.
After negotiations with the defendant the claim settled for £436,500, which was on the basis that the defendant was 90% responsible for our client’s injuries.
If you or a loved one has suffered due to a delayed or misdiagnosed medical condition, our medical negligence solicitors could help you claim compensation. See our Medical Misdiagnosis Claims page for more information.
Back to Client Stories
