£6.6m Birth Injury Settlement Awarded to Teen

A teenager left severely brain damaged was awarded £6.6 million in damages last week.

The 18-year-old young man of Oxford was born at the city’s John Radcliffe Hospital in and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and mental impairment. Thankfully, he has a near normal life expectancy and full awareness of his disabilities. He is able to compare his abilities with others and adjust his actions accordingly.

The Deputy Judge at London’s High Court heard that the teen was able to use most forms of assistive technology and was likely to be greatly helped by specialist equipment and care. He also heard that he would probably never be independent, would never enter the paid work force and would need assistance 24 hours a day for the rest of his life.

The boy’s brain was starved of oxygen near the end of his mother’s labor. Medical instrumentation showed the signs, but they were not heeded and his delivery was delayed. By the time he was born by emergency caesarean section, he had already suffered permanent brain damage.

The wheelchair bound young man and his mother was at court to hear the judge’s approval of the settlement. Their claim was against the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority. Their hearing lasted an about a week. The mother said, “This has been a long battle but we always knew that something had gone wrong and that it was the doctor’s fault that [my son] is the way he is. We have had to fight all the way for 15 years to prove it and to get [him] the compensation that will make sure he is secure for the rest of his life.”

The family’s solicitor commented to a reporter that whilst the award seems like a lot of money, the young man will live a normal life span and will need 24-hour care and assistance which will easily use the vast majority of that money. Experts in New York City and Long Island agree that “this is certainly not a windfall – the boy and his parents would very much prefer that he had never needed this award and was running around playing rugby with his brothers.”

Some cases such as this require a lot of time and dedication, not only on the part of the family, but also on the part of the legal team. If you secure the services of a New York City Birth Injury Attorney, you can be sure to get such high quality help in your time of need.