Can I Make a Medical Negligence Claim After the Death of a Loved One?
If your family has suffered a tragedy such as a loved one dying of blood poisoning, should you consider appointing a medical negligence solicitor?
In his early twenties your son was a young man. When he stayed in bed late one morning, it wasn't usual. He was active and sporty. He was very popular with a great future ahead of him.
Something was wrong. He was in bed with a raging temperature, complaining of terrible pain.
You rang the doctor's surgery and asked to be put through to your doctor on the phone.
After a minute the receptionist's reply came back informing you the doctor had said it was probably a fever and to get him to drink plenty of fluids and rest. You called again half an hour later as this was clearly not the solution. This seemed like a nightmare of medical negligence. His condition deteriorated and he was getting worse. He was sweating and weak.
You called the surgery again but were told to take him to casualty or wait for the home visiting doctor on his daily rounds. You felt as if you were being a nuisance.
You called an ambulance. Two days later, your son died of meningococcal septicaemia. You are sure medical negligence had occurred. You feel like your trust has been broken and you want to know why. Had the doctor responded earlier he could have been saved.
After the inquest, the thought persists that this must be a case to take to a medical negligence lawyer. Surely this area of law covers refusal to attend someone who is so ill and gets a dismissal of symptoms? The hospital were brilliant, they did all they could to save him but it was too late. Is a medical negligence claim still available in this situation then, but against the GP not the hospital?
A medical negligence solicitor will help to support you to find out. He will go through the history, the medical notes and call in an independent medical doctor to study the case in fine detail. The process involved in making medical negligence compensation claims is unlikely to be short and whilst you are still in unimaginable grief, it will require patience, lengthy, complex communication and possible Court action to resolve. Bringing a lawsuit against a doctor for medical negligence won't bring back your loved one, but it may help others by preventing repetition of any mistakes, and help you to feel more at ease.
About the Author
Bonallack & Bishop are specialist Medical Negligence Solicitors (http://www.bishopslaw.co.uk ). If you need advice on compensation claims contact one of their lawyers today. Tim Bishop is senior partner at the firm, responsible for all major strategic decisions. He has grown the firm by 1000% in 13 years and sees himself as a businessman who owns a law firm.
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