If you have had Cauda Equina Syndrome which was negligently managed by medical professionals, and this caused to you suffer further injury, you will entitled to compensation for the damages you have incurred. Read on to find out how.
Claiming for cauda equina negligence
To make a medical negligence claim for Cauda Equina Syndrome, it is necessary to establish that doctors breached their duty of care to you. This means that they provided you with an unacceptable level of medical care, as considered by a reasonable body of medical men. For example, a competent doctor would be expected to recognise the red flag symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome and consequently order urgent investigative tests to be performed. If there is a failure to do so, meaning there is a delay in diagnosis, there will be a breach of duty.
It is also necessary to prove that this breach caused you to suffer an injury that you would otherwise have avoided. Therefore if a delay in diagnosis means that you have been left with long-term neurological damage, but this would not have occurred had a diagnosis been made in a timely fashion, you will be able to establish the issue of causation.
How do I know if I can claim?
However, medical negligence (or clinical negligence, as it is now known) is a complicated area of the law. You cannot be expected to know whether or not you do have a claim. To find out for certain, you need to talk to a medical negligence solicitor, preferably one that has experience in cauda equina claims. After a discussion about the treatment you received and the injuries you have sustained, a solicitor will be able to advise whether you are in a position to claim. If you are, your solicitor will manage the case on your behalf, handling all the paperwork and negotiations with the other side.
Will I get compensation for Cauda Equina Syndrome?
If your claim is successful, you will be awarded compensation for the damages you have been caused. This can be broken down into two categories: general damages, which reflects the pain, suffering and loss of amenity you have experienced, and special damages, which reflects the financial loss you have incurred, or are expected to incur.
Because Cauda Equina Syndrome commonly results in severe, long-term complications, the sum of compensation is generally quite high. The highest settlement between 2003 and 2007 stood at £584,000, while our most recent case settled for £96,000.
Talk to a cauda equina solicitor
If you would like to talk to a legal expert about claiming compensation for Cauda Equina Syndrome, please feel free to contact us today at the Cauda Equina Solicitors. We will be more than happy to advise you upon your next steps.