Our medical negligence lawyers were able to secure a six-figure sum for Amelia*. This was after negligent hospital treatment caused the death of her husband Peter* while in hospital.
What happened to Peter?
Peter had a gastric illness and was admitted to hospital. While he was in hospital, his fluid levels weren’t monitored or maintained properly, causing him to go into cardiac arrest.
He was successfully resuscitated but tragically died as a result of this hospital negligence.
Peter was in his early 60s when he died and, aside from his gastric illness, was generally fit and well. He had a very active lifestyle, both at work and in his social life. His death was a great shock to all who knew him.
How did Irwin Mitchell help?
Amelia contacted our medical negligence team to seek compensation for the loss of her husband.
We started by requesting Peter’s medical records and notified the Trust of our investigation into his death. Whilst we were in the process of obtaining expert reports on the standard of care Peter received and whether his death should have been avoided, the Trust made a full admission of liability for Peter’s death.
Our focus was then on obtaining evidence in order to quantify how much compensation Amelia was entitled to. We obtained witness statements, disclosure, and expert evidence from a cardiologist about Peter’s life expectancy. A Schedule of Loss was prepared and submitted to the Defendant before Court proceedings commenced.
A six-figure settlement
We initially proposed alternative dispute resolution, but the Trust didn’t respond to this despite us chasing them.
They finally responded almost a year later, and a settlement was reached, achieving a six-figure compensation sum for Amelia. The sum exceeded Amelia’s expectations and will give her the financial security she needs as she goes into her retirement.
Expert comment
Amelia’s claim was handled by senior associate solicitor, Georgie Cushing. Speaking of the claim, Georgie said: “This was a tragic case that could have so easily been avoided had the hospital taken greater care to monitor Peter’s basic health needs. Instead, a much-loved husband, father, friend and colleague lost his life needlessly.
“No amount of money can ever bring back a loved one, but I am delighted at least that we were able to settle Amelia’s claim for such a large sum so that she has the peace of mind that she’ll be financially stable for the rest of her life.”
*Names have been changed to protect anonymity
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