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Lowestoft man obtains compensation for paraplegia caused by local hospital's failure to diagnose
Practice area: Injury
Tom Cook
The James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted in 2008 that if staff had investigated and treated Lowestoft man Thomas Jacobs' spinal problems in a timely way, he would not be faced with spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Tom Cook, a clinical negligence specialist at Kester Cunningham John, has now settled Mr Jacobs' legal case for a figure likely to be in excess of £1 million which will be used to ensure he has appropriate care for the rest of his life.
Thomas Jacobs was an active man in his 70s who enjoyed maintaining his allotment as well as his garden, and also undertook gardening for other people. In 2005 he started to suffer from back pain, which resulted in several visits to the James Paget Hospital. If the underlying cause of his pain had been diagnosed and treated on the third visit, he would probably have suffered some stiffness and pain following spinal surgery but would not have been left paraplegic.
As a result of the failure to diagnose his spinal cyst at an early stage, Mr Thomas has gone from being independent to relying on others to care for him. He has had to move from his long-time family home to a small bungalow which is being adapted for his needs. He has been left with considerable pain and the need for constant medication.
Tom Cook explains: "Like the majority of settlements agreed on behalf of older claimants, Mr Thomas will receive most of his compensation in annual instalments to ensure that he has sufficient money to fund his ongoing care and live his life as satisfactorily as possible in spite of his paraplegia whether he lives to be 85, 95 or 105."
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