Medical negligence news
23/10/2007
Compensation for birth blunder brain damage boy

A West Midlands boy who suffered brain damage after being starved of oxygen shortly after being born has been awarded £5.5 million in personal injury compensation.

The youngster, now 16 years old, became distressed during his birth and inhaled meconium (a baby's first stool) causing his airway to become blocked and his oxygen levels to drop. Doctors failed to notice this and some hours later he suffered a circulatory collapse and his brain was starved of oxygen for almost half an hour.

It was this starvation that caused him to suffer irreversible brain injury but doctors initially told his parents that the harm was caused by natural causes. Further investigation, however, uncovered the real reasons for the damage, giving the boy's parents the chance to make a medical negligence compensation claim on their son's behalf.

Speaking to the media, the boy's father said, "I think if we hadn't been so persistent in our quest for answers, we would never have uncovered the truth."

Despite the brain damage that requires him to receive 24-hour care, the teenager has recently gained eight GCSEs and is said to be a "mentally bright" young man.