Pages On: Head and Brain Injuries

Dog owner fined £1,000 after attack in bar

Posted: 31 December 2015

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Head and Brain Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Restaurant Accidents

A dog owner from north Wales has been ordered to pay a young girl £1,000 in compensation after his dog attacked her in a bar. The German Pointer had been wandering around inside The Cuckoo Club last August when a nine-year-old girl bent down to stroke it. CCTV footage from inside the bar shows the dog snapping at the girl’s face, leaving her with serious bite marks on her nose. Owner of the dog, called Katie, 65-year-old David Chapman admitted to owning a dangerously out of control dog that caused…

NHS birthing error sees £11m payout to cerebral palsy sufferer

Posted: 30 December 2015

Posted in: Birth Injury, Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence

An NHS trust has paid out £11.5 million in compensation to a boy that now suffers with cerebral palsy as a result of birthing complications. Now 5-years-old, the boy was delivered at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, where hospital staff admitted that had he been born 11 minutes earlier, he would not have suffered any harm. It was heard that his umbilical cord prolapsed during birth, which resulted in a lack of oxygen to his brain. Had this been recognised by midwives earlier, there would have been no lasting damage…

Car crash victim awarded £4m in compensation

Posted: 21 October 2015

Posted in: Car Accidents, Head and Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A man has received a compensation payout of £4million after a car crash in 2009 left him with life-changing injuries. Jack Mitchell was seventeen when he was involved in the car accident. The crash left him with severe brain damage, to the extent that he has been dependent on 24-hour care since. Scans after the accident revealed that he damaged his frontal lobe in the collision, which left him with memory and concentration problems, as well as anger managements issues and extreme fatigue. Mr Mitchell had been the front seat…

PE teacher wins £41,000 injury compensation after demonstration

Posted: 25 June 2015

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Knee Injury, Leg Injuries, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip

Following recent conferences, it was found that hundreds of teachers made claims amounting to £26million last year alone. One claim saw a PE teacher win £41,000 after injuring himself during a long jump demonstration. Another teacher was awarded £75,000 for tripping over a carpet. Details of the individual cases were released in April when the two main union conferences began, for the NUT and NASWT. The 25-year-old PE teacher suffered soft tissue injuries to his leg and dislocated his knee while carrying out a long jump demonstration before his class…

Attacker to pay £8,000 in compensation to eye injured victim

Posted: 24 June 2015

Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Head and Brain Injuries

A 26-year-old man has been ordered to pay £8,000 in compensation to the victim of his “animalist, frenzied attack”. Philip Cowle suffered serious damage to one of his eyes after gas engineer Matthew Rands hit him “blow after blow”. The attack happened when Mr Cowle was pulling out of a pub car park in April last year. Just as he was pulling out he came across a bicycle “wobbling about” in the middle of the road. After getting out of the car, Mr Rands started to shout at him aggressively…

Woman sues NHS for father's head injury in dementia care

Posted: 28 May 2015

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, NHS Claims

The daughter of a man who was left with a serious head injury whilst in care has sued the NHS. 76-year-old Ivor Betteridge was being treated for severe dementia in a mental health centre when a male health care assistant used physical restraint against him, causing him to suffer a serious head injury. 43-year-old Tracy Betteridge won over £3,600 in compensation from the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. It was heard from one nurse that the agency health care assistant, who has since been suspended, pushed Mr Betteridge, while another…

Taxi driver ordered to pay compensation to brain injured passenger

Posted: 22 May 2015

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A taxi driver is being ordered to pay compensation to a passenger who suffered a severe brain injury after jumping out of the moving vehicle when he refused to drop him off. 27-year-old Kristopher Hicks was returning from a night out in Bath, Somerset when taxi driver Michael Young (56) believed he was planning to ‘do a runner’. Mr Young drove Mr Hicks back to the rank, but when Mr Hicks objected, he jumped out of the vehicle. The taxi was moving at 20mph.  Mr Hicks suffered life-changing injuries as…

BT worker injured by electrocution wins court case

Posted: 9 March 2015

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries

An ex-BT worker is due to receive a six-figure payout after suffering severe injuries from overhead power lines. 55-year-old Ian Andrew Milroy had been checking a fault on a carrier pole in 2009 when he came into contact with a high voltage power line, causing him to suffer a cardiac arrest, brain damage and severe burns. A senior judge at London’s High Court ruled that Mr Milroy had received “inadequate” training, which led to the accident. The accident happened on 26 August 2009 when Mr Milroy – who had been…

Driver awarded £1.5million after being rear-ended at traffic lights

Posted: 31 December 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents, Head and Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A motorist who suffered permanent brain damage following a car collision while stationary at traffic lights has been awarded £1.5million in compensation. Peter Siegel was in his car at traffic lights when a vehicle, driven by Lester Pummell, drove into the back of him at 30mph in November 2009. The accident caused Mr Siegel to suffer “severe, subtle and permanent” brain damage, which will continue to affect him for the rest of his life. Following the accident, Mr Pummell’s insurers maintained that the accident constituted a simple whiplash claim, and…

Driver wins £1.5m following brain damage crash

Posted: 19 December 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents, Head and Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A man has been awarded £1.5m in compensation after a vehicle drove into the back of his car in 2009, leaving him with permanent brain damage. Peter Siegel had been waiting at traffic lights in his car when a vehicle crashed into the back of him at around 30mph. He suffered no visible marks following the trauma, but suffered a severe brain injury that will affect him for the rest of his life. The insurers of the driver responsible for the incident, Lester Pummel, said that Mr Siegel had suffered…

Girl’s parents suing over hospital surgery death

Posted: 4 December 2014

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The parents of 18-year-old Rachel Bradshaw, who died in February 2009 after a surgeon “incompletely” drilled into her brain, are suing the two hospital trusts for £500,000. The accident happened just before Ms Bradshaw’s nineteenth birthday at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The teenager had suffered liver failure after taking a paracetamol overdose, and was taken immediately to Northampton General Hospital. Her family said that staff did not respond quickly enough. The overdose led to her needing a liver transplant, so she was directly transferred to Birmingham. The fatal accident occurred at…

Tracy Morgan still recovering from brain injury after car crash

Posted: 25 November 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents, Head and Brain Injuries, Leg Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death

46-year-old comedian Tracy Morgan is still recovering from a serious car crash he was involved in five months ago. The accident happened in New Jersey in June when a ‘speeding’ Walmart truck slammed into the back of his vehicle. Those involved were taken immediately to hospital, but Mr Morgan’s friend and fellow comedian James McNair was sadly killed in the crash. Three others were severely injured. Immediately after the accident Morgan was taken straight to hospital with several serious injuries including a broken leg, a broken nose and broken ribs. Five months…

Minor injuries unit to close at nights after being found unsafe

Posted: 27 August 2014

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence

A Community Hospital’s minor injuries unit is due to close overnight after reports found it to be unsafe and underused. Ilkeston Community Hospital is to be closed between 22:00 and 08:00, after audits showed that the hospital was not safe enough to treat children overnight.   The nurse-led hospital deals with non-life threatening injuries, such as breakages, sprains, minor burns, infections and minor eye or head injuries. However, after recent reports by the Erewash Clinical Commissioning Group and other organisations, the decision was made to close the hospital overnight because…

FA to research effects of head injuries on players

Posted: 12 August 2014

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Sporting Injuries

A long-running campaign has finally triggered the Football Association to carry out research into the effects of head injuries sustained within the sport. After West Bromwich Albion player, Jeff Astle, died from a brain condition in 2002, his family has met with the FA chairman to discuss what can be done to prevent future fatalities. Jeff Astle died at age 59 from a condition that is most commonly linked to boxing, despite having been originally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. After years of campaigning for something to be done, Mr Astle’s family…

Only five of 241 pothole injury claimants win compensation

Posted: 9 August 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Head and Brain Injuries, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents

Recently released figures have revealed that in Buckinghamshire only 5 out of 241 pothole injury claimants actually receive compensation. The figures were obtained by a Freedom of Information request by the Bucks Advertiser, revealing that only a very small percentage of people injured by potholes over the last five years won any compensation. The five successful claimants cost Bucks County Council £117,000. Mark Shaw, the deputy cabinet member for transportation, said that the council only pays out when they have failed to meet their duty of care. The figures were released after a…

Police officer suffers vicious dog bite to face

Posted: 26 May 2014

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Head and Brain Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A man has been fined after his dog attacked a police officer’s face. The white terrier was originally a stray, but van driver Nicholas Edwick (27) started frequently spotting it around Wapshott Road in Egham Hythe. When the dog started visiting his garden, Mr Edwick started feeding and caring for the animal, but he denied the fact that the dog was his. The attack happened at around 1pm on 22nd October last year when the dog was spotted behaving aggressively in a family’s garden. It had escaped through Mr Edwick’s fence…

Hammer attack victim left with severe brain injuries

Posted: 13 April 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Criminal Injury and Assault, Head and Brain Injuries, Hotel Accidents

A victim of a hotel hammer attack has been left with only 5% brain function and severe facial injuries. The woman was with her two sisters at the Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch when the attack happened earlier this month. The attacker, 33-year-old Philip Spence, has been remanded in custody charged with three accounts of attempted murder. The main victim suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack, including the loss of large quantities of blood, the loss of one eye, and a significant loss of brain function. Despite this, her other organs are in…

Brain injured boy returns home after a year in care

Posted: 31 March 2014

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Personal Injury

A High Court judge has ordered that a toddler be returned to his parents after a year in care following a severe brain injury. The young boy was taken into care at only nine-months old after he fell from a bed. He was immediately rushed to hospital from his family home in Nottinghamshire with bleeding on his brain. Nottinghamshire County Council social workers automatically accused the parents of being unfit to parent the boy, however, the couple had no previous convictions and were not known by social services. At the High…

Head Injuries — Compensation Claims

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Personal Injury

If you are suffering from the results of a recent head injury, you will know just how upsetting life can become on the road to regaining your previous quality of life. For some the path to recovery is mercifully short, for others it is a difficult journey taken over many months or even years. The lives of victims and their families become changed forever following serious head injuries – and tragically so whenever lives are lost. As a head injury victim, or a family member of one, you will be…

Passenger of taxi seriously injured in hit-and-run crash

Posted: 28 December 2013

Posted in: Car Accidents, Head and Brain Injuries, Public Transport, Road Traffic Accidents, Whiplash Injuries

A teenage boy has suffered serious injuries after the taxi he was travelling in was involved in a hit-and-run crash on Christmas Day. The accident happened at the junction of Church Road and Sackville Road in Hove at 23:00 GMT on Christmas Day. Both victims were immediately taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance. The 16-year-old boy had been a front-seat passenger in the taxi, a blue Skoda, which was travelling east to west along Church Road when a silver Vauxhall Insignia collided with its nearside. The taxi spun out of control…

11-year-old dies after being hit by tractor

Posted: 11 August 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents, Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Harry Whitlam, from Wakefield, has died after being hit by a tractor at a farm just outside of Leeds. He was injured at around 09:20 BST on Friday morning and was immediately airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary. He received emergency head surgery on arrival, but sadly died on Friday night. West Yorkshire Police have arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving under the influence of alcohol. He has since been released on bail until further investigations have been carried out. West Yorkshire Police said that investigations are currently underway and have appealed…

Family dog bites two-year-old girl

Posted: 9 August 2013

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Head and Brain Injuries, Leg Injuries

A toddler has been transferred to a Sheffield children’s hospital following a dog attack. The incident occurred shortly after 10am on Tuesday in Rawmarsh, Rotherham, despite the rottweiler being on a lead at the time. The dog attack caused the two-year-old serious head injury and leg injuries, after which she was taken directly to Rotherham district general hospital by ambulance. She has since been moved to Sheffield children’s hospital. Police said that the dog was on the lead with a girl and woman at the time of the attack, and is believed…

Falling store mirror causes child’s death

Posted: 20 June 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Personal Injury, Public Place Accidents, Shop Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death

A young boy has died after a mirror fell in designer clothing shop ‘Hugo Boss’. Four-year-old Austen Harrison suffered severe head injuries, which caused his death in hospital on the 8th of June after shopping with family at the Bicester Village fashion outlet in Oxford. Described by relatives as being a “bright and vibrant boy”, he died four days after the store accident at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Thames Valley Police are investigating the death alongside help from the Cherwell District Council, which are assisting with health and safety…

Compensation awarded for pothole trip leading to brain injury

Posted: 20 March 2013

Posted in: Head and Brain Injuries, Pothole Injuries, Public Place Accidents

An Australian charity worker has been awarded “substantial damages” after he tripped in a pothole in South London and sustained a serious brain injury, reports the BBC. The incident occurred in 2007, when Kyle Bullock tripped in a three-inch deep pothole in Haringey. He was unable to break his fall because of the steep gradient of the road, and he also claims the road was badly lit. He required brain surgery for injuries sustained in his fall, and has been left with epilepsy. He now has daily care needs and…