When Grannia East went into the hospital for surgery to remove her gallstones, she never thought she would wake up with permanent brain damage from a brain injury incurred during the procedure. The surgery took place in January of 2001, but East has been waiting and navigating her way through court and appeals procedures to finally find out just how much she would be awarded.
East endured a brain injury when she suffered a cardiac arrest due to ‘aspirating her vomit,’ aMichelmores Medical Negligence News article reported. British courts have awarded East £3.45 million, most of which will go toward her future care. East has been living her life from a wheelchair since the botched surgery. Her husband, Shawn East, has spent his time taking care of her and attending to the legal demands over years of courtroom battles.
Shawn said in the article, ‘We have had a very hard fight getting compensation for Grannia but we have a magnificent legal team who fought brilliantly for us all the way. I am very pleased that the case has now settled before we had to go through another trial. It means that we can now get on and adapt a property for Grannia that is a suitable place to care for her.’
Regardless of the compensation awarded Mrs. East for her future care, her injury has been debilitating. The 44-year-old woman went from being able to walk to living in a wheelchair with memory and concentration issues. The high level of compensation she will receive is due to the severity of brain injuries and the extreme financial burden of long-term care her condition now demands.
East’s case is a milestone in personal injury law. The East family solicitor John White said, ‘This is a landmark case and important points of clinical negligence law were decided in the High Court and Court of Appeal. After the battles establishing liability I am delighted that we have achieved an excellent award, which will meet Grannia’s complex care, accommodation and therapeutic needs,’ a Personal Injury Bureau article reported.
References:
Michelmores Staff. (March 15, 2010) ‘Woman brain damaged after Royal Haslar, Gosport gall bladder surgery awarded £3.45 million damages.’ Retrieved on March 23, 2010 from theMichelmores Medical Negligence News Web site:http://medneg.michelmores.com/news/default.asp?Display=818
Paterson, Emma. (March 22, 2010) ‘£3.45 Million Personal Injury Compensation Payout Following Brain Injury.’ Retrieved on March 23, 2010 from the Personal Injury Bureau Web site: http://www.personalinjurybureau.co.uk/headline/3-45-million-personal-inj…