In a sad case, we had been acting for a client in connection with a claim against Great Western Hospital arising from treatment which his late mother (the deceased) received at the hospital during April 2013.

Briefly, in April 2013, the deceased (who was aged 44) had an accident in a park close to her home and sustained a simple two part closed fracture of her right tibia.

She was admitted to the hospital and underwent two operations, the first on the day of her admission (when an unsuccessful attempt was made to insert an intramedullary nail to stabilise the fracture) and the second operation, two days later (in response to her developing compartment syndrome in her leg).

It was our case that sub-standard care received following her admission to hospital led her to developing compartment syndrome.

In light of her perilous condition, she was then transferred to Bristol Royal Infirmary for limb salvage surgery which included a split skin grafting of her fasciotomy wound and the treatment of her tibia fracture with a stacked Taylor Spatial Frame.

The deceased was required to wear a frame on her leg until October 2014 and, during this period, she was very limited in what she could do at home. Her condition placed a strain on her marriage and she and her husband separated, and she was later dismissed by her employer for medical reasons and became unemployed. She did not return to work before her death.

Altogether, she had at least ten operations on her right leg, two at the hospital and eight in Bristol. She was left with significant scars on her right leg.

Her leg problem caused her to develop carpal tunnel syndrome in her right wrist (her dominant arm) due to overuse of a crutch. Her wrist was painful and swollen causing problems in her using this hand.

Prior to her accident, the deceased had suffered from depression and her failed leg treatment significantly exacerbated her mental health problems.

At home, she was very reliant on our client for assistance with a number of tasks and chores around the house.

Sadly, she died in February 2017 from liver failure.

Her family acknowledged that she had mental health issues prior to her treatment at hospital including an alcohol problem but it was their case that this became significantly worse following her sub-standard care and played a role in her premature death.

Although the hospital conceded that the deceased had received sub-standard care following her admission in April 2013, they disputed that this either caused or contributed to her death. In other words, they argued that she would have died in any event from an unrelated illness.

After protracted negotiations, the parties were able to negotiate a settlement of this claim without the need for our client to issue proceedings which took into account the risks of litigation. The claim included damages for the deceased’s pain and suffering, her loss of earnings and the care provided to her by our client.

S J Edney solicitors obtained compensation of £123,000.00 for this client during 2018