Boyes Turner’s medical negligence solicitors secured a compensation settlement of £200,000 for a woman who suffered faecal incontinence and a psychological injury as a result of a delayed diagnosis and inadequate repair of a third-degree vaginal/perineal tear.
Our client suffered a third-degree vaginal/perineal tear whilst giving birth. The attending midwife negligently misdiagnosed the injury as a (less severe) second degree tear and stitched the tear in the delivery room by herself. She did not record in the medical records the basis on which she had assessed the injury as a second degree tear or the steps she had taken to ensure that an adequate repair had taken place.
When our client subsequently became unwell with abdominal pain, she was incorrectly diagnosed and treated for gallstones. She had experienced symptoms of faecal urgency and incontinence soon after the delivery of her baby but did not realise that this was related to a birth injury and was also experiencing symptoms from her gallstone procedure, so it was some time later that she finally sought medical attention. She was reviewed by an obstetrician and referred to a colorectal specialist. Only then was she informed that she had suffered a third-degree tear during the delivery of her son which had been repaired inappropriately by the midwife. She has been left with permanent disability from faecal (bowel) incontinence and a psychological injury.
We helped our client pursue a claim against the hospital, which admitted responsibility for our client’s injury and ongoing disability. Following negotiations, our client’s claim was settled out of court for a compensation payment of £200,000.
If you have suffered a serious injury or disability as a result of medical negligence and would like to find out more about making a claim, you can talk to one of our specialist solicitors, free and confidentially, by contacting us here.
