A ten-year-old boy who sustained severe brain damage leaving him with dyskinetic cerebral palsy has had his compensation claim adjourned for the assessment of damages.

Eoin Murphy of Malahide, County Dublin sustained his brain injury during his birth on the 12^th July 2002 after the hospital failed to resuscitate him for seventeen minutes while the paediatric registrar was found after he was born with near total acute hypoxic ischaemia.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine found the Coombe Women’s Hospital guilty of negligence which resulted in the catastrophic brain injury to the boy.

Two years after Brid Courtney was awarded an interim payment of € 2 million for brain injury after delayed hospital action during her birth, the High Court has approved a settlement of compensation for her injury.

An expert told the court that a further € 9 million would be needed to provide adequate care for the nine-year-old for the rest of her life.

The child suffered catastrophic brain damage after hospital staff allegedly failed to react to a dramatic change in her heart pattern during her birth at Tralee General Hospital in February 2003. The brain injury has left the girl confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak.

Ms Justice Mary Irvine agreed with the expert and awarded the victim – represented by her mother – € 9 million.

A 14-year-old girl from Cork has had a compensation settlement for €700,000 approved by the High Court after she was born with Erbs Palsy in 1998.

Aoife James (14) from Douglas in Cork suffers from the birth injury which was caused by the over-extension of the nerves between the neck and shoulder during delivery. Usually the injury heals but in this case the condition remained on her right hand side. Aoife’s condition has not improved despite intense physiotherapy and two operations and she is still unable to carry out basic tasks such as wash herself or dry her hair using her right arm.

Claiming on behalf of her daughter Carol James is making the claim for compensation on the basis that her injury was caused by medical negligence by consultant obstetrician Patrick Kieran of the Cork Clinic, Western Road, Cork during her birth which the family were willing to accept.

A boy who suffered brain damage during his birth and now has cerebral palsy has had his compensation settlement for birth injury approved by the High Court in Dublin.

 Kyle McMahon from Nenagh in County Tipperary was born at the St Munchin’s Regional Maternity Hospital in Limerick. Labour had been induced to speed up his birth as his mother Theresa McMahon had been admitted to hospital due to high blood pressure. During the birth however Kyle was starved of oxygen and now requires round-the-clock care as a result of the injuries he sustained.

Claiming on his behalf his mother argued that his injury could have been avoided if the situation had been handled better. The Health Service Executive and St Munchin’s Regional Maternity Hospital did not dispute the allegations and a settlement was agreed.

Four patients died while in hospital care between January 2004 and December 2010 after they were given medication to which they had a known allergy. These figures were released by the State Claims Agency which is responsible for the clinical indemnity scheme on behalf of the healthcare system.

Earlier this year figures were released showing that over a seven year period 35,310 incidents were recorded and in certain instances patients became ill and had to be admitted to intensive care in the hospital.124 of these resulted in a compensation claim for medical negligence due to a reaction to a known allergen. Studies carried out show that many of the errors were due to the complicated system in place for administrating medicine.

Patient lobby groups believe that treatment incidents are still under-reported in Ireland despite the acknowledgment of more than 5,000 medication errors each year.

The doctor who oversaw the birth of 13-year-old girl that was left with severe disabilities after he delayed her birth for no apparent reason has been found liable for a 3.75 million euro medical negligence settlement that was agreed previously in her case.

The High Court heard that consultant obstetrician; Dr. Raymond Howard delayed the birth of Nicole Hassett of Clonmel, County Tipperary by over half an hour on November 15 1997 for ‘absolutely no apparent reason’. In the original court action the settlement was agreed against the South Eastern Health Board (now the Health and Safety Executive – HSE) with Dr. Howard and the UK-based Medical Defence Union as third parties but Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill ruled that Dr.Howard was liable as he failed to adequately perform his duties and failed to provide the child with a duty of care.

A partial settlement of €2 million has been agreed in the High Court for a baby who suffered a serious birth injury during her birth.

Brid Courtney was born at Tralee General Hospital but their failure to deliver the baby as soon as possible allegedly caused her to suffer brain damage. Claiming on behalf of her daughter Deirdre Courtney is also arguing that the hospital did not take account a sudden change in the heart rate pattern of the baby.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) agreed to the settlement but did not admit liability.

The coroner’s court has determined that a medical accident led to the death of a woman who was mistakenly diagnosed with a migraine by the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.

One month later the 21-year-old died from a large subarachnoid haemorrhage.  The error came despite the victim’s repeated requests for a brain scan. The Health and Safety Executive has apologised to the deceased family and made a compensation payment. The Jury has recommended that patients who complain of persistent and severe headaches should in future; receive Cat scans as soon as possible.

A child left with serious brain damage after complications with his birth has been awarded €4.7 million in the High Court.  Although the claim has been settled, the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork did not admit medical negligence in the case, telling the family it was ‘just one of those events’.

Colm Daly was born on July 12 2000, his health worsened when he was a month old and it was subsequently found that a small blood vessel in his brain had burst and did not clot properly. As a result he will be left with life-long physical and mental problems.

The settlement of €4.7 million plus costs was approved in court by Mr Justice Vivian Lavan.

See also: http://www.ukmedicalnegligencesolicitors.co.uk/