Boyes Turner’s brain injury lawyers secured a substantial settlement for a three-year-old boy whose brain was severely injured as a result of delays in diagnosis and treatment of meningitis infection.
The boy’s mother took him to an out-of-hours clinic when he developed a headache, earache and a high temperature. She was advised to give him Calpol and return if he didn’t get better. She received the same advice when she called the clinic later the same day and told them she was worried about his condition. The next day a GP diagnosed a flu-like illness but no antibiotics were given. A day later, the boy was lethargic, drowsy, hot to the touch and shivering. He had a fever and a history of vomiting. His mother took him to hospital and late that night he was admitted to the children’s ward. His temperature was high and his blood tests suggested infection. The next morning, the consultant saw him and prescribed antibiotics for suspected meningitis, but the antibiotics were never given. At midday his condition deteriorated suddenly. He was admitted to ITU at another hospital for treatment and ventilation. An MRI brain scan confirmed that he had suffered damage to his brain.
We pursued a claim against the first hospital on the basis that the child would have recovered fully from his meningitis if antibiotic treatment had been given correctly seven hours earlier. The defendant hospital admitted the negligent delay but denied that the delay worsened our client’s outcome. We issued court proceedings and they then admitted full responsibility. We entered judgment and after working with our experts and the boy’s family to assess the full impact of his brain injury, we negotiated a settlement which provides our client with substantial compensation.
Read more about this case and others on our cerebral palsy claims website here.
If you are caring for a child or young adult with cerebral palsy or neurological injury and would like to talk to one of our specialist solicitors, free and confidentially, to find out more about making a medical negligence claim, contact us at [email protected].
