A personal injury solicitor specialising in clinical negligence cases recently secured £300,000 personal injury compensation for a client who suffered problems during the birth of her child.
The woman concerned was 10 days overdue when she eventually went into labour. It was agreed that a forceps delivery was necessary and a healthy baby was delivered. However, during the delivery process, the mother suffered a fourth degree tear.
The victim’s medical records show a lack of accurate documentation regarding the tear and she was sent home from the hospital three days after giving birth. Just before her discharge, some stitches came away, but a doctor did not come and review the situation. In fact the mother was kept completely in the dark about the tear; she was not told it had happened, nor was she given a follow-up appointment with an obstetrician.
It was only after she got home and had a visit from a midwife that she discovered what had happened. Within three days of returning home, the new mother started to have problems and was referred back to the hospital where she underwent a temporary colostomy. To make matters worse, a swab was left inside her after the operation.
Not surprisingly, the woman decided to sue the hospital for medical negligence. She had to stop working as an estate agent and is now only able to work part-time from home. Although she has since had another baby, the delivery was performed by Caesarean Section.