£2,300 compensation awarded to child for burn injury

The County Court in Slough approved a settlement of a claim following an accident involving a 9-year-old boy.

A 4-year-old boy was awarded £9,000 in compensation by Birmingham County Court after negligent care in an ICU caused permanent scarring and a bald patch on the back of his head.

At 7 months old, the boy was admitted to Birmingham Children's Hospital for surgery to correct a congenital heart abnormality. Post-surgery, while recovering in intensive care, he developed a pressure sore on the left side of his scalp. The sore, caused by hospital staff not repositioning his head during recovery, was due to avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue). It appeared as a foul-smelling, pus-leaking black patch and took several weeks of treatment by his GP to heal.

Once healed, the sore left a flat scar, 4cm by 1.5cm, on the left parietal bone with a permanent area of baldness. While the boy was not self-conscious at age 4, medical evidence indicated that the scar and associated baldness, of mild to moderate cosmetic severity, could affect him in later life. The award reflected the permanent nature of the injury and its potential future impact.

See also:

Child injury compensation claims

Personal injury solicitors in Slough

Disclaimer

Case studies are for informational purposes only and aim to help prospective claimants understand the injury claim process. They are based on cases handled by Quittance panel solicitors or sourced from public court records.

Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher

About the author

Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.