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22 October 2022 | Case Study | Article by Helen Dolan

Over £8 million settlement for boy who suffered brain damage


Jeremy was three years old when he suffered a seizure whilst at a supermarket with his mother. He was playing with one of the coin-operated toys outside the store. His mother immediately dialed 999 and told the operator her son was having a seizure and wasn’t breathing.

The ambulance was late in arriving despite the child’s serious condition. The paramedics involved failed to secure the boy’s airway and failed to administer adequate oxygenation.

Jeremy suffered a severe and permanent brain injury as a result affecting his mobility, speech and vision.

Hugh James were instructed by Jeremy’s mother and pursued a claim against the Ambulance Service in respect of their failure to provide Jeremy with prompt and appropriate treatment causing irreparable and devastating injuries

We were successful in reaching a compensation award of £8.25 million for Jeremy.

This is a significant award and will enable Jeremy and his mother to move to appropriate adapted, accommodation and to meet his lifelong care and therapy needs.

Helen Dolan, Partner at Hugh James, said:

This was a particularly troubling case as it involves every parent’s worst nightmare; that their previously normal and healthy child should sustain life changing injuries which were avoidable with good care.

By achieving this settlement for Jeremy we have been able to ensure that he will be able to access the necessary care and support he needs for the rest of his life allowing his mum to be a mother and not just a carer to him, something which was really important for the whole family.

The names and identifying details of the client have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals involved.

Author bio

Helen Dolan is Joint Head of the Manchester Office and Head of the Clinical Negligence team. Helen specialises in high value complex secondary brain injury, spinal cord injury (including cauda equina syndrome), birth injury, cerebral palsy and wrongful birth cases, and also has extensive experience of orthopaedic and surgical cases.

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

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