Man endures year of pain and permanent damage to his wrist after hospital fails to diagnose fracture
A man who fractured his wrist has received compensation after a hospital failed to diagnose his condition, which resulted in almost 12 months of avoidable pain and permanent damage to his joint.
He injured his wrist while playing football when he fell backwards and landed painfully on his hands, resulting in the fracture to his left wrist.
When he attended his local A&E, the nurse treating him did not pick up on the signs of a scaphoid fracture, and his doctor failed to diagnose the fracture following an x-ray of his arm. If his injury had been identified at the time, or had he been referred to a fracture clinic within a week, his wrist would have been put in plaster to ensure his injury healed as quickly as possible.
Instead the scaphoid fracture was only diagnosed by doctors almost a year later, and he then needed surgery as a result of the delay.
He was forced to take almost four months off work after his surgery and had to borrow money to cover his living costs. Because of the delay in diagnosis, he suffers from restricted movement in his wrist and his doctor advised that the joint will never make a full recovery.
He contacted Thompsons Solicitors who investigated a claim on his behalf.
He said: “I suffered continuous pain for almost a year because my fracture wasn’t diagnosed. It affected my ability to work, and impacted on my personal life. I really enjoy playing sport, but I couldn’t play football whilst my wrist was so fragile.
“Thanks to the support and advice I received from Thompsons Solicitors I have been able to bring this chapter of my life to a close and move on.”
Madeleine Pinschof, from Thompsons Solicitors, said: “It is completely unacceptable that our client suffered eleven months of unnecessary and avoidable pain when the fracture should have been diagnosed at the first opportunity.
“If a scaphoid fracture is not properly diagnosed it can result in a permanent disability. Clinical negligence has serious consequences and my client is very lucky to have made the level of recovery he has done.”
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