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Over half a million pounds in compensation was just awarded to a North London teenager. Complications at her delivery years ago left her partially disabled as she enters adulthood.
The sixteen-year-old from Barnet suffered serious complications during her birth at London’s Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital, and she now suffers with Erb’s Palsy.
Erb’s Palys is a condition that causes paralysis of the arm. More specifically, the upper group of the arm’s primary nerves are severed during severe trauma. Depending on the nature of the trauma, the paralysis can either resolve on its own over a period of months, necessitate rehabilitative therapy, or require surgery. It was caused when her shoulder became stuck during delivery, which caused the extensive damage to the nerves in her shoulder. A study reveals that complications such as this happen more often than the public realizes.
It is often a very preventable situation that could have been avoided with more expert use of forceps and vacuums and quicker and more adaptive delivery methods.
Despite numerous operations to alleviate her condition, the teenager still finds it extremely difficult to carry out even the most basic of normal everyday tasks.
The young woman was awarded £575,000 in birth injury compensation by London’s High Court; the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust fully admitted liability in the incident. The payment is believed to be amongst the highest ever awarded to an Erb’s Palsy sufferer.
The expert in Manhattan and another in Long Island following the case says that the teenager’s legal team explained to the High Court that staff at the hospital failed to carry out the recommended and standard procedures. This negligence is why the emergency, which is referred to as shoulder dystocia, developed at all during her delivery.
The NHS Hospitals Trust fully admitted that there were shortcomings in the level of care provided to the young woman. They apologize to the teen and her family for their oversight and inadequate care.
Contact your New York Injury Attorney to find out about seeking compensation for injuries you or your loved one received during birth. Many of the injuries sustained then could have been prevented with proper oversight.