Acquired Brain Injury

An acquired brain injury occurs during life, as opposed to one that you are born with.

If you or a loved one has suffered an acquired brain injury due to the negligence of a medical professional, we can help you claim compensation.

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What causes an acquired brain injury?

Acquired brain injuries (ABIs) can be caused by an accident, an infection, a stroke, or lack of oxygen to the brain.

There are occasions when negligent medical treatment from doctors, dentists, and other health professionals can result in varying degrees of brain damage to their patients.

That’s where we can help. We help people get the compensation they deserve for brain injuries caused by medical negligence.

We can help you claim compensation for:

Failure or delay in diagnosing subarachnoid haemorrhage
Failure or delay in diagnosing strokes
Delay or failure in diagnosing aneurysms (widened blood vessels)
Failure or delay in diagnosing tumours
Surgical errors
Anaesthetic errors
Failure to diagnose and treat infections e.g. meningitis in children and adults
Blocked shunts leading to hydrocephalus (a build-up of fluid on the brain)

Could you make a compensation claim?

The consequences of a brain injury can be catastrophic to the individual, and to their family and friends. They can become totally dependent on others for all activities of daily living. This may involve consideration of finances, 24-hour care, and adaptations to the home. Although a financial award does not compensate for the life-changing effects of a brain injury caused by negligence, it does help to relieve some of the concerns that need to be addressed.

Due to the complex medical and legal issues involved you need to talk to a specialist brain injury negligence solicitor. We understand all the implications of an acquired brain injury and can maximise your compensation if your claim is successful.

Our specialist team is led by Linda Schermer-Jones, who is a dual qualified doctor/solicitor. With the benefit of medical knowledge and experience dealing with brain injury claims, we can help you with all aspects of your compensation claim.

We are happy to offer free confidential and professional advice on potential clinical negligence claims. Just give us a call on 01244 354688 or visit our contact page.

Delayed or failed diagnosis of a stroke?

A stroke is a serious condition and happens when the blood supply is cut off to part of the brain. If a medical professional fails to diagnose and treat a stroke correctly and in a timely manner, then the patient may suffer from an acquired brain injury.

There are two main types of stroke; ischaemic (which is when the blood flow through a blood vessel is blocked – by a clot for instance) and haemorrhagic (which is when a blood vessel bursts and there is a bleed).

However, in both instances an area of the brain is starved of blood supply and thus of oxygen. This causes an injury to that part of the brain.

The sooner the blood supply can be restored, the smaller the brain injury and the better the outcome. This means that you must be diagnosed urgently so that the appropriate treatment can be started as soon as possible.

It is also very important that doctors determine the type of the stroke before they begin treatment. This is because ischaemic strokes are treated differently than haemorrhagic strokes. Treatment also depends on what part of the brain has been affected. Most strokes can be treated with medication but some patients will require an operation.

Common symptoms of a stroke:

Facial droop on one side of the face
The inability to lift one or both arms
Slurred speech or the inability to talk
Dizziness
Sudden loss of vision
Severe headache
Numbness down one side of the body

The timing of investigations and the treatment of suspected strokes have been the subject of national guidelines so that doctors and nurses know what to do. You can find these guidelines by clicking here.

If you think you may have a claim, give us a ring on 01244 354688. We will give you free, confidential, and professional advice.

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Acquired Brain Injury

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What causes an acquired brain injury?

We can help you claim compensation for:

Could you make a compensation claim?

Delayed or failed diagnosis of a stroke?

Common symptoms of a stroke:

Medical Negligence case studies

Key contacts

Olivia Haslam

Megan Wilson

Liz Fry

Linda Schermer-Jones

Kerry Goulden

Emma Williams

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