£26k awarded for pain and suffering from CO poisoning | Case Study

A 49 year old lady received £26,000.00 for the pain and suffering caused by her having carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty gas fire.

Injury details

The claimant when aged 42 had begun to suffer from the affects of exposure to carbon monoxide. The gas fire in her home was to blame with exposure increasing in during the winter period when the gas fire was more in use. The effect on her was to cause her to suffer from headaches and loss of appetite and one minute she would feel very hot and then cold. Her memory suffered as did her concentration. She became lethargic and depressed with the symptoms continuing for some years

She then instructed solicitors to bring legal proceedings in the County Court and she was 49 at the date of the Trial.

There was no dispute on the issue of the faulty gas fire but the medical experts disagreed on how the carbon monoxide poisoning had affected her on a long term basis.

The Judge having heard the evidence from her expert and the expert nominated by the defendant concluded that whilst she did have problems with her memory and concentration it had not affected her work as a school nurse. It did however cause her difficulties generally with frequent headaches. The claimant also suffered psychiatric problems but the Judge formed the view that once the litigation had been concluded her depression would begin to subside.

Conclusion and settlement

The Judge awarded her £26,000.00 for the physical and psychological injuries taking into account the fact that during the relevant period she had suffered a bereavement which would have caused her some depression in any event. That sum, when taking into account the changes in the Retail Price Index would now equate to a figure of just less than £37,000.00.

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.