What Types of Bone Fracture Are There?

Did you know that there are 206 bones in a fully-grown human’s body? That’s a lot of bones that could be potentially fractured. And whether you’re a young, strong, very active person, or an older member of the population, painful bone breaks and fractures can happen to anyone – it’s simply a case sometimes of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

What’s more, any of these 206 bones can be broken, and they can be fractured in a wide variety of ways, some of which are more painful than others, and some which take longer to recover from than others. Frequently, a fracture at work or in public life can occur as a result of someone else’s mistake, meaning that you could seek fracture compensation.

But did you know how many different types of fracture there are? Here is a list of the many ways your bones could be harmed, in a very convenient alphabetical manner:

Avulsion fracture – a bone is broken and a small piece comes completely apart from the rest of the bone.

Bowing fracture – usually occurring in children, who have softer bones than adults, this will see the bone bend permanently but not break.

Comminuted fracture – after heavy impact, the bone is crushed or shattered into a number of pieces

Complete fracture – a clean break, where the bone splits into just two pieces

Complicated fracture – the fracture damages blood vessels, nerves or other body parts during the trauma

Compound fracture – the bone punctures through the skin to become visible

Compression fracture – usually affecting the spine, this sees the bone collapsing

Fracture dislocation – the bone is broken, as well as fracturing a connected joint

Greenstick fracture – again usually occurring in children, the bone isn’t fractured completely, but on one side

Impacted fracture – a bone fragment is thrown into another

Longitudinal fracture – the break runs entirely along the bone’s shaft

Oblique fracture – the break slants across the bone

Simple fracture – the break has not punctured the skin

Spiral fracture – the break winds around the impacted bone

Transverse fracture – the break reaches straight across the bone

By knowing the specific type of fracture that you’ve suffered, you’ll be able to better understand your problem and how it can be improved in the future.

Cerebral Palsy Compensation Claims – What Are They?

A physical condition that originates from brain injury and affects movement and coordination, cerebral palsy affects thousands of people in Britain and further abroad every year. It typically comes in three different types:

• Athetoid cerebral palsy – where the patient suffers from spontaneous spasms in the body as well as a diminished posture.

• Spastic cerebral palsy – where muscles in a body don’t work as effectively as they should; feeling tight, stiff and weak and limiting successful control.

• Ataxic cerebral palsy – where patients will encounter problems with balance and speech as well as suffering from shaky hands and feet.

Caring for someone with cerebral palsy

Each individual case of cerebral palsy is different, and will affect the person in varying ways – from a mild, barely noticeable affliction to requiring constant 24-hour care for the rest of a life. Many people with cerebral palsy also suffer from hearing, learning and epilepsy problems.

Treatment is available for sufferers of the condition in a variety of ways to help them continue to play a part in society. Speech therapy and conductive education can help patients to communicate more effectively with others and develop social skills, whereas physiotherapy and massage therapy will encourage the joints and limbs of afflicted sufferers to live a little easier, with as little obstruction as possible.

How can cerebral palsy happen?

Sometimes there is no identifiable cause of cerebral palsy, but it can also happen as a result of problems before birth, whether through exposure to radiation or infection from the mother. Breathing problems during birth can also cause it, while twins and triples are more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy. Furthermore, nearly half of all children with cerebral palsy were born prematurely.

Cerebral palsy is also a condition that develops throughout a person’s life. Although the actual damage to the brain that’s caused won’t increase during a lifetime, the actual manifestation of the

However, although it can occur from ‘natural’, unpreventable causes, hundreds of children contract cerebral palsy as a result of malpractice, negligence or sub-standard care during a birth – which is where a cerebral palsy negligence compensation claim can come in.

Reclaim your medical costs 

If your child is suffering from the symptoms of cerebral palsy because of malpractice in a hospital or care setting, you can claim compensation for the years of care and treatment that have been needed in the past and will be needed in the future. It is always best to seek a specialist cerebral palsy solicitor to ensure that your claim goes as smoothly as possible and you get the compensation that your are entitled to.

How to make a Food Poisoning Compensation Claim

It isn’t often that food poisoning compensation claims are made, even though the number of food poisoning cases each year far outweighs the number of road traffic accidents that warrant compensation claims. Why aren’t claims made for food poisoning? Because it is notoriously difficult to prove what particular food stuff caused the poisoning and where it came from.
Saying this, it is possible to make food poisoning compensation claims and thousands of individuals make successful claims each year. The key is to document the incident as thoroughly as possible and make the claim as soon as you can.

5 steps to making a compensation claim

1. Visit your GP as soon as possible

The first thing you need to do when you suspect food poisoning is to get it verified by your GP, just in case your sickness is actually due to something else. Your doctor will ask for a stool sample to send to the laboratory and within a few days a positive identification of food poisoning should be returned.

2. Make a list of what you have recently eaten

Whilst you’re waiting for your laboratory results to come back you should take the time to make a thorough list of everything you’ve eaten in the 48 hours prior to your symptoms starting. If you think you know the culprit of the poisoning then put this at the top of the list. Anything that was eaten by others as well e.g. family meals, take away meals etc. and hasn’t resulted in sickness can be discarded from the possible causes list.

3. Contact the Environmental Health Department

You probably have an idea of what caused your food poisoning by this stage and if it involves a public place e.g. a restaurant, café, take away establishment etc. then you should contact the Environmental Health Department as a matter of urgency. They will conduct a spot check of the kitchen and preparation areas to see if anything is amiss. Their results might help with your claim, so keep in touch with them throughout the process.

4. Ask around to see if anyone has suffered illness

Again, if your food poisoning came from a restaurant or a take away ask your friends if they have had any food poisoning symptoms in the last few weeks. Social networking sites will make this very easy, and you might find that some people have experienced mild symptoms but thought nothing of it. Document what you find out as evidence.

5. Instruct a solicitor to contact the culprit

It’s easier to make a legal claim for food poisoning with the help of a specialist solicitor. So when you’re sure you know who and what the culprit is, instruct a solicitor to write to the restaurant, café etc. This initial letter should state that you have evidence of food poisoning and that you intend to make a compensation claim. You might also want to mention that you’d like to trace the other customers that were there at the same time as you. If they are helpful they probably think they have nothing to hide, but if they prove to be unhelpful they probably know they’re guilty. Either way your claim should still go ahead as the evidence will speak for itself.

The Role of Medical Negligence Solicitors

Most of us have visited a medical facility at some point in life. The NHS (or your private provider) are there to support you when you experience an accident or illness. However, just as with any service, medicine (and its practitioners) can sometimes get things wrong. If you have been let down by a health service in the UK – consulting medical negligence solicitors is essential.

Why Seek Compensation?

It is perhaps important to understand the reasons why some aggrieved patients and their loved ones opt for legal redress after things get out of hand. For the patient, there is always the expectation that visiting a hospital will bring them the best results, fix the ‘problem’ and make life better. This, however, may not always be the case. It is important to also note that different people deal differently with a poor result or poor treatment.

Of course there are situations when doctors can be appallingly negligent. Just like your mechanic (or indeed any member of any profession), it is occasionally possible to have concentration lapses or lapses of judgement. When this happens with your car, the mechanic may forget to tighten some nuts or even fail to sort out the problem, when this happens with a human being, the difference could be devastating – a matter of life or death.

The Role of Medical Negligence Solicitors

When such cases occur, the services of an experienced medical negligence solicitors become very important. Many patients and their families may immediately decide to sue the doctor or institution, yet many do not know just exactly how such processes should be handled. All they know is that they are dissatisfied and would like to sue. It therefore takes a knowledgeable team of solicitors to evaluate and compile the facts in an effort to prove your case beyond any reasonable doubt.

Of course, that can be a daunting task for many. Not everyone is medically trained to detect when the doctor has failed to act as professionally expected. This can become even more complicated when dealing with complicated procedures such as surgical operations. In such situations, it is the responsibility of your solicitors to analyse the facts and present your case both professionally and convincingly.

Potential Outcomes of Medical Negligence Cases

There are always several perspectives on any matter where more than one party is aggrieved. Whilst there are some glaring cases of medical negligence that establishments have to own up to, there are also many others that simply go unnoticed and others where the aggrieved simply ignore the situation and let the grievance lie.

However, simply letting go of your grievance can be a very negative act. Without input from patients, complacency can breed – lowering the overall standard of medicine. It is for this reason that you require the assistance of medical negligence solicitors who can help you compile and present the case before a court of law and follow it to its logical conclusion.

An experienced clinical negligence solicitor will have extensive, expert knowledge in medical matters and be able to notice negligence and unprofessional ethics at a glance. This is the reason why you need very good medical negligence solicitors who have registered a level of success and have the necessary infrastructure and personnel to handle your case properly.

Consent to treatment: The facts

According to the principle of consent to treatment, all patients much give their permission to receive any kind of medical treatment, regardless of how minor or how important the help is. In order for a patient to adhere to the principle, their consent must be both informed and voluntary and they must have the capacity to make the decision for themselves.

 

To classify a decision about whether consent to treatment or not is voluntary, the patient must have come to their conclusion completely alone. This means that it cannot have been strongly influenced by family, friends or medical staff.

The decision must also be informed, meaning that the patient must be fully aware of what the treatment involves. Medical staff must not withhold any information from the patient and are obliged to inform them about alternatives, benefits and risks. Sometimes patients may request not to hear all of the details of their treatment or procedure but all healthcare professionals are required by law to at least provide them with a basic overview, the likely outcome and their treatment options.

 

The principle also calls for patients to be capable of giving consent. Although this is a more difficult category to define, it is typically considered to mean that the patient understands the information that they have been given and that they can use it to make an informed and voluntary decision.

There are exceptions in extreme cases when consent is not needed for treatment and this is usually because of a patient’s capacity. If a patient does not have the mental capacity to make the decision about their medical treatment, healthcare professionals have the ability to give consent on behalf of them, in their best interest. There are some circumstances, including donation of regenerative tissue, that will always require action from the Court of Procedure if the patient is unable to give consent. The courts may also get involved if there is serious concern about the patient’s capacity or best interests.

 

The definition of these terms is crucial for the principle of ‘consent to treatment’, one that is an important part of the international human rights law and plays a major role in medical ethics. If medical staff are happy that the patient’s consent or consent not to receive treatment has fulfilled these terms, they must respect the decision even if it will result in death.

 

Regardless of the medical treatment that is being advised, from a simple blood test to an organ donation, consent must be given in an official manner. For more minor treatments, consent can be delivered verbally or non-verbally, for example raising a hand or nodding a head. Major medical treatment, such as an operation, will require consent in writing and will usually be asked for in advance so that the patient has time to study the procedure and ask questions.

 

By following the definitions of the consent to treatment principle, healthcare professionals are able to ensure that their patients have come to a voluntary and informed decision. If you feel your content to treatment has been abused, seeking legal redress with the help of a clinical negligence solicitor is a big, but important step to consider.

What are the Warning Signs of Elder Abuse?

Elder abuse can be defined as any type of abuse inflicted onto an elderly person by a person they trust which causes harm or distress to the victim.

There are several types of abuse that are commonly experienced by elderly people, each of which has its own warning signs.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is often thought of as hitting, punching, slapping etc. but there is much more to it than this. The administration of unnecessary drugs, such as sleeping medication or pain killers can also be classed as physical abuse, as can starvation or the withholding of fluids, even though they leave very few obviously abusive outward signs.

With this in mind, the signs of physical abuse to look out for include:

• Wounds such as cuts, bruises, puncture marks, black eyes and painful areas where there may be a broken or fractured bone.
• Injuries that are in the process of healing or seem recently healed.
• Poor skin condition including loose or pallid skin as these can be signs of dehydration.
• Unexplained weight loss i.e. not due to a diagnosed medical condition.
• A change in the frequency of repeat prescriptions that may be due to under or overdosing.
• Hints from the person that they are a victim of elder abuse.

Psychological abuse

Psychological abuse can be anything that affects the mental state of an elder person, either by making them depressed, anxious, scared or confused. So for example, telling an elder person that they won’t be allowed to see their family unless they do what they are told would be classed as psychological abuse.

The warning signs are mostly related to a change in personality or behaviour and can include:

• Nervousness or upset when their abuser is around.
• Unusual behaviour that is out of character.
• Withdrawal from social situations.
• Confusion that could be seen as story-telling.
• Unexplained fear.
• Unexplained anger.
• Tales of verbal or mental abuse by people they trust.

Financial abuse

Financial abuse can also be termed ‘stealing’ and in a lot of cases it comes hand in hand with psychological abuse. The children of the victim can often be involved, although they justify their taking money by saying it is their inheritance come a bit early.

The warning signs of financial abuse include:

• Forged cheque signatures.
• Large, unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts.
• Untimely changes to an existing will or the sudden drawing up of a first will.
• The addition of new names to a bank account.
• Unpaid bills when a carer is in charge of paying them.
• Large care bills that can’t be explained.
• The unexplained disappearance of high value objects belonging to the victim.
• Isolation of the victim from family and friends by the care staff.

Neglect

Neglect is a common form of elder abuse and has the following obvious warning signs:

• An unclean and unhealthy living environment.
• Poor personal hygiene.
• Untreated sores, wounds and rashes.
• Evidence of lice or fleas.
• Inadequate clothing for the season.
• Untreated medical conditions.
• Signs of being malnourished or dehydrated.
• Over or under-medication.

All of these types of elder abuse can be inflicted by care staff or by a family member. They can also be noticed by care staff or a family member, which makes them easy to spot if you know the warning signs.

What Legal Issues are raised by a Persistent Vegetative State?

The medical definition of a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) says it is:

• A condition of wakeful unconsciousness the lasts for more than four weeks.
• A condition in which the possibility of improvement with regards to cognitive functioning is ‘highly unlikely’.

In the UK a PVS is more commonly referred to as a continuous vegetative state until 12 months has elapsed when the diagnosis changes to a permanent vegetative state. The possibility of improvement in a permanent vegetative state changes to ‘impossible’ and has different legal issues associated with it.

What are the legal issues of a PVS?

PVS has always been a legal grey area and a highly debated topic. The condition is not recognised as ‘brain death’ because the brain of the patient is still functioning, albeit at a lower level than normal.

The legal debate centres on the future wellbeing of the patient and the quality of life they can expect. On the one hand, some say that patients in a persistent vegetative state should be allowed to die because prolonging their life will benefit them in no way. Others however say that if there is even the smallest possibility of improvement then their care should continue indefinitely.

Unfortunately a PVS patient is classed as mentally and legally incompetent and as such is unable to say what they want for the future – even if they know within their own mind.

Adding fuel to the legal debate

In November 2012, Canadian Scott Routley managed to communicate with his doctors for the first time in 12 years. Scott was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state after being involved in a car accident in 2000 but his family fought to keep him alive.

At the Brain and Mind Institute of Western Ontario, Scott underwent several MRI scans and was found to activate different areas of his brain in response to asked questions. It is thought he did this by thinking about different scenarios; playing tennis to answer yes and walking calmly around his home for no.

Professor Adrian Owen, director of the study in which Scott took part, commented “Scott has been able to show he has a conscious, thinking mind. We have scanned him several times and his pattern of brain activity shows he is clearly choosing to answer our questions. We believe he knows who and where he is.”

The results of these tests alone show that a PVS is not as black and white as it may sound. Theoretically, Scott could choose for himself whether he wants to remain alive and this complicates the legal issues tremendously. At the present time life support for a patient in a persistent vegetative state can only be withdrawn after a court order is issued, and this in turn can only be issued if it can be shown that recovery of cognitive functioning is ‘impossible’ in the eyes of an authoritative medical professional.

Whether the legal debate surrounding PVS will ever be settled remains to be seen but in light of these new findings it seems more complex than ever.

Why Work With Specialist Clinical Negligence Solicitors?

In the UK, our hospitals and medical facilities are essential to our national wellbeing. It is however important to note that, sometimes, things go wrong – just like in any other sector or profession. People react differently when a mistake is committed; some people may simply accept the situation and move on, while others prefer to seek legal redress and financial compensation for the error, misjudgement or poor treatment which has been made or provided.

 

In cases where the aggrieved party decides to sue the medical facility or doctor in question following a dispute, they may need to hire reliable clinical negligence solicitors who have the experience in handling such matters. It is important to also understand that the process could at times be costly and time consuming – the medical institution will try to defend its reputation at any cost if the area is a grey one.

 

The urge to protect the interests of their institution and of the doctor in extension often draws lines for legal battles that can take many years to resolve. There are cases of this nature that have dragged on for well over a decade. Providing evidence or testifying in such cases can also be a very tricky affair. This is because there is always a need to get an opinion of fellow doctors who understand the extent to which misjudgements, maltreatment and mistakes can be pardonable.

 

It is in many cases very difficult to convince a practicing doctor to take part in such an exercise considering that “one of their own” is involved and could suffer serious repercussions if found guilty. They are likely to have a much higher degree of sympathy for the medical professional involved. Of course there are some obvious situations where the culpability is glaring. These are much simpler cases to resolve.

 

Such cases might be easier to handle, yet expert legal representation is essential nevertheless – to minimise the length and expense of the procedures – and to ensure everything is performed to the letter of the law. The important thing is to make sure you can find qualified medical negligence solicitors with the experience and expertise to guide you through the process as smoothly and as stresslessly as possible.

 

Without the support of suitable solicitors, many people with such matters in courts lost – accruing substantial fees and reparations. This often comes down to a low level of accuracy and detail. The jury need accurate, careful and professionally presented cases – put together with thoroughness which leaves them with no option but to award you compensation. Considering that the damage has already been done, it is always difficult to convince the judges that someone needs to pay for the problem and that it should be the same doctor who tried to save the situation on the spot.

 

The success of such cases will in many situations depend largely on the way the clinical negligence solicitors gather their evidence and present it before the jury. In some cases you may need medical procedural records while others may require the testimonies of other doctors who were in the same team as the accused. This often becomes a major challenge and that is why many such cases remain unresolved for many years.

Making Fatal Accident Compensation Claims

In the event of losing a loved one as a result of a fatal accident the last thing you’ll probably want to think about is making a compensation claim. It is your right as a family member to do so though, and if your loved one was the main breadwinner for your family a claim will be necessary to continue living life as you know it.

Making fatal accident compensation claims isn’t as difficult as it sounds. There are solicitors in most towns and cities that specialise in the field, and as most work on a ‘no win no fee’ basis you won’t lose anything by making a compensation claim.

 

 What can you claim for?

There are three types of claim you can make in the case of a fatal accident.

– A Victim Claim can be made on behalf of your loved one if they suffered pain or discomfort prior to their passing. You can claim for things like medical expenses, loss of income and even funeral expenses if there was a period of time between the accident and death.

– A Dependent’s Claim can be made on behalf of yourself if your loved one died as a direct result of someone else’s negligence. This type of claim is made to provide you and your family with continued financial support and can include things like loss of income, childcare costs incurred as a result of the death, home help costs and loss of benefits associated with pensions and other investments. Several members of the deceased immediate family can make a dependent’s claim including their spouse, children, parents, grandchildren and grandparents.

– A Statutory Award for Bereavement is a one-off payment made by the negligent party to you as a loved one. You have to be a spouse, partner or child of the deceased to claim this type of award, but if successful, the amount you receive is currently £11,800.

 

Making a claim

It is vital that you start fatal accident compensation claims as soon as possible after your loved one’s death while the details are still fresh in your mind. You personally won’t need to do much providing you use the services of a specialist lawyer. Your first priority should therefore be to find a personal injury lawyer who specialises in fatal accident claims.

It should be pointed out that even in the case of a successful claim there is very little chance the negligent party will be held responsible for the accident. They will also be unlikely to face prosecution. Your fatal accident claim will result in financial security for you and your family in the event of a win but it won’t bring the party at fault to justice.

Even so, fatal accident compensation claims are definitely worth pursuing and all it takes is a single consultation with a specialised lawyer to get the process started. It can be upsetting to think of death in terms of financial gain but in the case of a fatal accident due to negligence you are only claiming what is rightfully yours for the future of your family.

How to Make a Brain Damage Compensation Claim

Brain damage compensation claims are sadly a very common occurrence. If you have suffered brain injury at the hands of a third party, it is all too right that they should offer compensation in order to amend their behaviour. After all, the money is often needed for pricey medical bills and after care.

Despite popular opinion, brain damage compensation claims don’t just apply to someone who has been left permanently (and severely) brain damaged as a result of an accident. Brain damage compensation claims also applies to those who have been subjected to temporary brain damage such as headaches or memory loss due to an accident. With this in mind, the amount of compensation depends on the severity of the injury.

Making a Brain Damage Compensation Claim

If you feel as though you need to make a claim, follow these simple steps:

1) Find a respectable injury lawyer
There are continuously adverts on TV for injury lawyers but you need to find one that is both credible and reputable. Search online for real reviews and recommendations and find out what the company specialises in. It is also advisable to select a company with a no-win, no-fee policy as this motivates the company to win the case.

2) Speak to a Doctor
It is important to understand the extent of your injury and be able to provide viable evidence to support that claim. By visiting a doctor you can discuss how the accident has affected your brain and day-to-day life. A doctor can give a full report on the severity of the injury coupled with the extent that it has impacted your life. Medical evidence such as this helps to prove your point while making a brain damage compensation claim, making the claim irrefutable.

3) Discuss with Your Lawyer
Your lawyer will be able to understand how to work the case on the grounds of the medical evidence you have provided. With support from the doctor and your own account of the injury and impact, your lawyer can provide you with an overview of the likely success of your compensation claim along with the expected financial outcome and process you need to go through.

4) Don’t Forget Psychological Trauma
The psychological trauma of experiencing a brain injury can have a huge impact on your life. Many people suffer from depression and stress after such a horrendous experience and this is an important part of making a claim. A brain damage compensation claim doesn’t just look at the injury itself but also how it has affected the person and if it further results in psychological trauma, this is another symptom to add to the claim.

5) Ask for a neuropsychologist
Not only will a neuropsychologist be able to assist you in recovery, but they will also be able to provide a viable case for a claim with scientific details. It is important that you have experts such as this on your team as they will act as your supporting evidence.

Brain damage compensation claims can be a difficult and time consuming process. You need to have physical, medical and expert evidence to support your claim along with a well-equipped lawyer to put your point across. Completing all these steps will ensure you receive the correct amount of compensation for your injuries.