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Published:
February 24, 2008
London
court awards £4.1million compensation to ex-Burnham family
 A
former Burnham-On-Sea family has been awarded £4.1 million
in compensation after their daughter was left blind and suffering
from severe brain damage when doctors in Bristol took more than
20 minutes to resuscitate her.
Laura
Gaines, now 29, was born with a heart defect which required surgery
when she was 10 months old.
Two
days after the operation at Bristol Royal Infirmary, she suffered
heart failure but it took medics 22 minutes to bring her back
from the brink of death, during which time she suffered brain
damage that left her mentally and physically disabled and needing
24-hour care.
On
Friday (February 22nd) a ten-year legal battle came to a close
at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, pictured, when a payout
was finally agreed to the family. The hospital publicly apologised
to the Gaines family for the irreversible injuries she suffered
in the BRI.
Solicitor
Tim Dyde, of Exeter-based law firm Tozer, said: "Laura's
case was an unusual and highly complex one. The hospital made
an admission of negligence in 2001 but the amount of damages could
not be agreed at that time and extensive work had to be undertaken
as a consequence. A trial date at the Royal Courts of Justice
had been set for this month but following negotiations, an agreement
was reached on a substantial settlement."
The
family left their home in Burnham-On-Sea in 1981 to begin a new
life in California when Laura was two years old. Mrs Gaines has
devoted her life to caring for her daughter but the costs of such
care are extensive.
A
spokesman for Bristol Royal Infirmary publicly apologised to the
Gaines family. He
said: "We wish to apologise again for the injuries caused
to Laura. We
would like to pay tribute to the selfless care provided to Laura
by her mother and hope that this settlement will enable them to
move forward."
Our
photo shows The Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the payout
was finally agreed to the family on Friday
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