Ciaran Casey recently brought a successful damages claim. His solicitor, Paul Sankey, Partner at Enable Law, explains how this will be life changing .
Because of a rare condition affecting his spine, Ciaran has little feeling in his legs. So when, on a cold night, he used a hot water bottle, he didn’t feel it burning his ankle. The next day he noticed that he had a wound and went to his local Emergency Department.
Over the next 3 weeks, the wound was managed by district nurses, his GP and practice nurse. None of them followed the local burns guidelines which required him to be urgently referred to the specialist burns unit. As a result, the wound got worse. After more than 18 months, numerous hospital admissions and episodes of sepsis, his leg was amputated below the knee.
The following years were a struggle. His residual limb was bulbous and his prosthetics did not fit. He underwent 3 operations to refashion the limb. He spent much of his time in a wheelchair. He was living in a two-storey house, which resulted in him having to shuffle up and down the stairs on his backside. He could only access the bathroom on his hands and knees because his wheelchair would not fit, and he struggled to move around his kitchen.
After a contested legal claim, he recovered substantial damages. The claim will enable him to buy a bungalow locally which will give him the ability to access all rooms, enjoy cooking again and use the toilet with dignity.
This blog post was written by one of our Legal Panel members.
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