Negligence claim resolved following the avoidable death of wife and mother of two

Catherine Pinnegar has successfully concluded a clinical negligence claim on behalf of a widow whose wife tragically died following a misdiagnosis of DVT that caused a pulmonary embolism.

The deceased consulted her GP surgery on a number of occasions presenting with pain and tightness in her leg and inflamed varicose vein. Her consultations were mainly via e-consult and text message; in the first instance she was triaged to her local community pharmacy where she was recommended treatment for superficial thrombophlebitis. A few days later the symptoms continued and she noticed a change in the colour of her skin, her concerns of a DVT were sadly dismissed.

The deceased later presented with continued leg symptoms and an ongoing cough and shortness of breath, she was prescribed antibiotics.

A few days later, the deceased was discovered unresponsive on the bathroom floor at home by her husband. Very sadly she was pronounced dead on scene by the paramedic crew that were called.

When presented with the facts and backed by independent medical evidence, Catherine obtained a full admission of liability by the defendant GP surgery for failure to appropriately investigate and treat their patient for a DVT and that had this had happened, the DVT would have been identified and successfully treated with anticoagulant medication, thus her death was entirely preventable.

Once the admission of liability had been obtained, Catherine worked hard to ensure that all claimable losses were considered and investigated before presented the claim to the Defendant. The claim was complex due the deceased being the parent of a dependant adult child additional expertise was required.

Throughout the course of the claim Catherine continued to support the family both legally and emotionally and ultimately secured a six figure settlement on behalf of the deceased’s estate.

The client said

During this emotionally challenging time Catherine supported me from start to finish providing expert advice and making each step of the process easy to understand. There were times when it became too much and affected me but the support Catherine provided gave me the strength to continue. I was disappointed with the GP’s attitude towards the final settlement when they admitted fault but I felt put obstacles in the way and this could have been concluded sooner instead of having to make me go over the tragedy time and again. I am pleased with the overall result and finally can move on and pursue a life for me and my daughters and finally gives us closure.

Speak to Catherine Pinnegar

Catherine is a Associate Solicitor at Wollens and can advise you. Contact Catherine via email catherine.pinnegar@wollens.co.uk or call 01803 225112.

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