University Graduate Secures Five-Figure Settlement

An amateur footballer has received a five-figure settlement after doctors performed inadequate surgery to repair a serious knee injury.

Tomas Adams, 27, felt his knee ‘pop’ while playing football in 2013. He underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at West Midlands Hospital in April 2014. However, he continued to suffer problems with the knee in subsequent months and an MRI scan in January 2015 showed evidence of a re-tear. While further surgery in March 2015 was successful, revision will be needed.

Following the problems, Tomas, of Oldbury, instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his case and they launched legal action against Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Limited arguing there were a series of failings in his treatment.

Now, after specialist clinical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell helped him secure a five-figure settlement, after the Defendant admitted that the anterior cruciate ligament (“ACL”) graft was not positioned correctly, Tomas has spoken of how he is looking to a brighter future.

He said: “You put great trust in medical experts when you suffer injuries of this nature, so I was devastated when I discovered there had been failings in my care.

“It has been an incredibly frustrating few years where my life has been dominated by hospital appointments and gruelling physio sessions, but after receiving this settlement, I just want to put this behind me and move on with my life.

“I only hope now that no one else has to go through what I have faced and lessons have properly been learned.”

Ashley Cocker, a medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, represented Tomas, said.

Expert Opinion

This is an incredibly worrying case where our client was left in agony, and suffered following negligent surgery performed on 26 April 2014, where our client’s ACL graft was not positioned correctly. Were it not for the substandard surgery, our client would have made a full recovery sooner and he would have avoided the need for two-stage revision surgery.

“It is clear in this case that standards of care fell below the required standard and it is vital that such issues are simply never repeated again.

“While nothing can change what has happened, we hope that this settlement will go some way to allowing our client to move forward with his life and put the issues he has faced behind him.” Ashley Cocker - Solicitor

In its case, Irwin Mitchell argued that surgery was not performed to a reasonable standard by Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Limited.

In support of Mr Adams’ claim, Mr Robert Gregory, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, reviewed the medical records and prepared an expert report.

Mr Gregory said: “Having seen Mr Adams’ MRI scans, it is clear that the positioning of the tibial tunnel was too anterior to be considered reasonable and the femoral tunnel was situated in an overly anterior position to be considered reasonable. I do not believe the surgery on 26 April 2014 was performed to a reasonable standard.”

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling medical negligence cases.