Dearbhla O’Hanlon of O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors acted on behalf of a Plaintiff who suffered a collapsed lung (an iatrogenic pneumothorax) when a chest drain was incorrectly inserted into the wrong lung in a Northern Ireland Hospital.
It was alleged that the Hospital failed to appreciate that the pain the Plaintiff was suffering from originated in the other lung. Notwithstanding this, a chest drain was inserted in the lung that was not causing the Plaintiff any issues, resulting in the Plaintiff sustaining an iatrogenic pneumothorax.
The Plaintiff obtained independent medical evidence from experts based in both England and Northern Ireland in the course of the case. It was alleged that the Plaintiff suffered permanent and lifelong pain as a result of the iatrogenic pneumothorax as well as a psychiatric injury.
The Hospital accepted mistakes were made in the Plaintiff’s care and the matter was settled during the course of proceedings, by way of a negotiated settlement. Our client recovered general damages for their injuries in the sum of £100,000 plus a further award in respect of their loss of earnings.
Following the successful outcome, our client states, “The most satisfactory element was to have reached a reflective settlement out of Court. This was my preference from the start and the team were able to arrive at this conclusion. I feel everything was handled professionally and I see no room for improvement. O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors were able to conclude my case with an award that was reflective of my injuries. This was achieved in a “stress free” handling of my case and this is reflective of the high level of services they provide.”
