Russell Jones and Walker report NHS patient left scarred after incorrect diagnosis

Russell, Jones and Walker, a leading UK firm of solicitors, has reported that a mother of two, who was left with multiple scars following surgery after being incorrectly diagnosed with skin cancer, has been awarded £15,000 in compensation.

Kate Andreou, 28 from Harlow in Essex, was referred to the Democracy Department of Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust after expressing concerns regarding a mole on her shin. Following an examination the mole was duly removed for further investigation on the advice of her doctor.

Following the removal and examination of the mole, Mrs Andreou was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma in July 2007 and was subsequently referred to the Department of Plastic Surgery at Mid-Essex Hospital NHS Trust. Mrs Andreou was advised to have a further six moles removed from her leg, chest, arm and back – surgery she was told was necessary. She underwent the operation in September 2007.

The news of the diagnosis came as a double blow to Mrs Andreou who had just been informed that her grandmother was terminally ill with cancer. Believing that she had skin cancer, Mrs Andreou went through the trauma of informing her family of the diagnosis and advised them that they too would need to be checked for cancer. However, it later emerged that the diagnosis was incorrect and that her pathology report was not finalised and subject to further review from Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital.

James Bell, solicitor from Russell, Jones and Walker said: “Had Mrs Andreou known that her pathology slide was under review, she would not have proceeded with the excision of the six other moles until a definite diagnosis of Malignant Melanoma.

“The incorrect diagnosis of the mole as a melanoma represents an unacceptable error which breached the duty of care to Mrs Andreou.

“Not only has Mrs Andreou experienced entirely unacceptable treatment from the NHS, but her entire extended family has also undergone unnecessary trauma after being advised to be tested for skin cancer.”

Mrs Anreou said: “The past year has been very difficult for me, my children and the rest of my family. Not only were we all going through tough times with my terminally ill grandmother, but we then had to face up to the fact that I too had cancer and would require treatment.

“The surgery that I had to remove seven moles left me with red scars, making me very self conscious about exposing my arms and legs. The scars have now faded but the whole experience will stay with me for a very long time.”

About Russell Jones & Walker:
Russell, Jones & Walker employs over 360 staff (over 160 lawyers) and is renowned as the leading national firm of solicitors in protecting the rights and legal interest of individuals and those who represent them. RJ&W has a network of regional offices and includes those in the following centres: London, Birmingham, Bristol, Wakefield, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

Via EPR Network
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Field Fisher Waterhouse Wins Substantial Compensation For Premature Girl Left With Brain Damage Following Dextrose Overdose

Law firm, Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP has won substantial compensation for Romy Smith, a seven year old girl who was given an excessive dose of dextrose shortly after birth and suffered severe and permanent brain damage as a result. Romy will receive damages that could add up to more than £10 million over her lifetime.

Romy Smith was born prematurely at 29 weeks in 2001 at the Ipswich General Hospital and was transferred to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, where she was given a “grossly excessive dose” of the sugar dextrose. This resulted in perfusion brain injury, which caused severe learning difficulties and autism. Romy’s communication and social skills are very limited, she needs constant care and will remain totally dependent on carers for the rest of her life.

Romy, however, has a special talent for music, which is her primary means of enjoyment. In addition to her care, the payment will also cover the cost of music therapy.

The East and North Herfordshire NHS Trust, which had previously admitted liability, will pay Romy an initial sum of £2.36 million and a series of index-linked “periodical payments” to cover Romy’s lifetime care expenses.

Paul McNeil, clinical negligence partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse, was instructed by Romy’s mother to represent her in the claim.

After the case, Romy’s parents, Sally and Tim Smith said: “We are absolutely delighted at the settlement that Paul McNeil has secured for our daughter. Throughout the whole time that Paul has worked with us, we have found him to be very caring, extremely skilled and highly organised. He has kept our family’s best interests at heart at all times and has always answered any concerns we may have had calmly, quickly and efficiently. We are enormously grateful to him for the way in which he conducted our case and we cannot praise him enough. We would not hesitate in recommending him to anyone.”

Paul McNeil, clinical negligence partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse said: “Although nothing can be done to undo the mistake made in the special care baby unit, there is a lot that can be done to maximise Romy’s potential. The payments guaranteed to Romy will ensure her needs are covered for life. Those close to Romy were delighted that the judge supported the need to have access to music therapy.”

Claim number HQ06X01206

About Field Fisher Waterhouse

Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP is a full-service European law firm with offices in Brussels, Hamburg and London. With 119 partners, over 200 other lawyers and nearly 300 support staff, FFW assist a wide range of international clients, advising across a full range of legal issues.

The main areas of practice are corporate and commercial, IP and technology, banking and finance, regulatory and real estate. Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP also have particular expertise in competition & EU law, dispute resolution, employment, asbestos claims,personal injurybrain damage cases, clinical negligence, public sector and tax.

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Jim Adler, An ATV Injury Lawyer Whose Warning Exposes The Hidden Dangers Of ATVs, Especially The Yamaha Rhino

“If you hand people a gun that shoots backwards, don’t act shocked at what happens.”

That’s ATV injury lawyer Jim Adler talking about ATV manufacturers and their deceptive advertising. The advertising says that ATVs are a great way to have fun. But this personal injury attorney is hearing from people all over the United States who have been seriously injured in ATV accidents.

2008 case files at the Adler law firm reveal the grim reality that manufacturers don’t talk about: The ATV can cause life-altering accidents at low speeds with no warning, especially in the Yamaha Rhino.

• A Florida woman began having severe headaches two months after an accident in a Yamaha Rhino. An MRI showed a skull fracture and scar fragments sticking into her brain. The Yamaha Rhino passenger had two brain surgeries.

• An Arizona honor student was taken by life-flight to a hospital with a broken right leg, a fractured neck, broken ribs, a broken collarbone and punctured lungs. He has dropped out of school due to brain damage from bleeding in the brain.

Callers from 18 states this year have been telling Adler similar tales. Some injuries aren’t life threatening: a broken foot or leg. But all needed a doctor’s attention. Many required hospitalization. Some have permanent disabilities. And one died from head injuries.

What makes the ATV, particularly the Yamaha Rhino, so dangerous? Its design flaws and lack of safety equipment. ATVs have a narrow wheelbase and high center of gravity. That makes them “tippy.” The two-seater Yamaha Rhino lacks doors, safety handles and other safety equipment. It is particularly dangerous since it is larger and heavier than most ATVs.

Victims of ATV accidents report rollovers at low speeds – at two to three miles per hour one client said – when they tried to make a turn. Some ATVs have flipped suddenly, landing on arms and legs, crushing them. Videos show ATVs jerking and bouncing over sand dunes and on back trails heading to hunting cabins, deer stands and duck blinds. YouTube is full of daredevil stunts on ATVs in contests and exhibitions. Sales of the recreational sports vehicles are a fast growing-component of the automotive market. That worries Yamaha rhino injury attorney Jim Adler.

“The rates of death and injury to kids in ATVs would knock your socks off and the companies that make ATVs know it,” Adler says.

In 2005, an emergency room doctor with the American Academy of Pediatrics called ATVs the “perfect recipe for tragedy” given their unstable design. “Safe Kids Worldwide, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Consumer Federation of America, have been calling for a ban on kids under 16 in ATVs since 1987 because they know how deadly they are.”

An ATV crash is “…12 times as likely to kill a child as an accident with a bicycle,” according to Safe Kids. Adler is a member of several Safe Kids coalitions in large U.S. cities. The coalitions work to reduce preventable accidents – the number one killer of children 14 and under.

The deadly design of the early ATVs prompted the Justice Department to file suit against the manufacturers, claiming that they violated the Consumer Product Safety Act. In 1987, major ATV manufacturers and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission approved a 10-year Consent Decree, which among several provisions agreed to stop making the deadly three-wheeled ATV. Makers began manufacturing ATVs with four wheels but many three-wheelers remain in use.

The Wall Street Journal slammed the ATV industry in an article in February 2004, pointing out federal statistics showing that in 2002 more than 110,000 ATV riders were injured seriously enough to require emergency department treatment and that one-third of these were under the age of 16. In 2007, this number has increased to over 150,000 with 27% occurring in children.

About the Company:
Jim Adler is a lawyer with 30 years experience in all types of personal injury cases. He is also a TV and radio personality who has served the public for 25 years on TV and radio talk shows, in newspaper interviews and on civic group panels discussing the legal rights of accident victims. His law firm, Jim S. Adler & Associates represents the seriously and catastrophically injured in Texas and other states.

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