Lawyers for a patient who suffered multiple bone fractures after
a surgical implant operation say he has received a substantial
damages payment.
Gerald Morgan, 60, was left in agony with "horrendous" bruising
following the failure of hospital doctors and a GP to diagnose
breaks to his pelvis and hips for seven months.
Mr Morgan, from Birmingham, has now accepted a six-figure
out-of-court settlement over his treatment at the Royal London
Hospital in October 2004 as well as his GP's subsequent failure to
diagnose the fractures.
Mr Morgan initially underwent surgery at the Royal London
Hospital for the implant of a spinal stimulator to control pain he
had suffered for a number of years.
However, when surgeons turned on the stimulator, Mr Morgan
experienced a massive contraction of his muscles, throwing him up
from his wheelchair with such force that he fractured several
bones.
The former lorry driver's lawyer, Ally Taft, criticised both the
GP and the trust which runs the Royal London for taking more than
five years to admit a failure to X-ray Mr Morgan's injuries.
Mr Morgan referred himself to Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital,
who referred him to the nearby Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, where
surgeons said the delay in treatment meant it was not possible to
treat the fractures.
Mr Morgan's posture is now permanently deformed and he must take
high doses of painkillers.