Our medical negligence solicitors helped a widowed client, Sarah*, secure a large settlement after mistakes led to her husband Alan’s* tragic death.
Alan first visited his local GP surgery in early 2017 after developing flu-like symptoms. The Nurse practitioner who saw Alan thought that his symptoms were caused by his asthma flaring up . They advised him to rest and come back for a review if his symptoms got worse.
As Alan’s health started to deteriorate and his symptoms began to worsen, he went back to his GP surgery a few days later. A nurse diagnosed him with a chest infection and prescribed antibiotics.
The nurse also advised attending his local hospital for a chest x-ray but indicated that Alan should rest to reduce his temperature beforehand to avoid delays.
Alan went home to get some rest but when his wife, Sarah, checked on him around 8 pm, she found that he had stopped breathing. After trying to resuscitate Alan with CPR, Sarah rang an ambulance who sadly confirmed his death. Alan’s post mortem later confirmed his cause of death to be sepsis, among other diseases.
After Alan’s death, Sarah got in touch with our medical negligence lawyers and asked us to look into the care Alan received. We also investigated the psychological impact that witnessing Alan’s passing has had for Sarah.
Once Sarah had made initial contact with us we began to look at Alan’s medical records and consulted with independent medical experts. It became apparent that the care that Alan received from his nurses fell below the reasonable standard that we expect from them. Court proceedings began in February 2020 but we were able to negotiate an early settlement of £525,000 for Alan in September 2020.
Sadly, the negligence Alan received can’t be reversed, but the substantial compensation sum we helped Sarah secure will help with the next chapter of her life. The settlement will mean Sarah can access additional psychological support while also helping to ensure her financial security for the future.
If you or a loved one has been affected by delayed or mismanaged sepsis treatment, our medical negligence lawyers may be able to help you claim compensation. See our Sepsis Negligence Claims page for more information.
*Names have been changed
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