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Laura was admitted to hospital for a discharging hip sinus
in September 2000 at the age of 21, but it became necessary
for her to be transferred to the Defendant's hospital for
more specialist treatment in October 2000. Her condition worsened
and she required transfer to the intensive care unit for intubation
and ventilation, where she was appropriately treated before
being moved to the High Dependency Unit. Unfortunately, during
the course of one evening in November 2000, Laura's vital
signs deteriorated but no action was taken and she suffered
a cardiac arrest followed by a respiratory arrest. She was
resuscitated and her parents were advised that the outcome
was bleak.
Despite this, Laura recovered gradually over the following
months, although she was left considerably more disabled than
previously. Her vision, speech, memory and fine movement were
significantly worse and she was unable to swallow, thereby
necessitating feeding via a PEG tube. She also required 24-hour
care.
Results of the case
Laura's case was difficult to quantify because, even without
the Defendant's negligence, the evidence was that she would
have required a significant amount of care in any event in
the future and her condition was likely to have deteriorated
in any event. We were pleased to secure a lump sum payment
of £465,000 for her, with additional periodical payments
of £91,000 every year for the rest of her life, which
were subject to a reverse indemnity, meaning that any of this
money not used for her care would be repaid to the Defendant.
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