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
