George, 32

JMW has been able to secure £100,000 in compensation for a man who was left with a life-changing disability due to negligent treatment of his fractured leg.

George, 32, fractured his leg in the tibia and fibula while playing football. He was told that there were two standard treatments for a fracture like this - manipulation under anaesthetic, or surgical pinning. Both treatments would involve immobilising the leg in a plaster cast for a number of weeks.

The patient said he would prefer surgical pinning as he thought this would speed his recovery. However, the doctor felt the fracture was more suitable for manipulation, and this was the procedure that ultimately took place the following day.

George was followed up on a number of occasions, with X-rays taken to assess the alignment of the fracture. Although a degree of misalignment was obvious, this was considered acceptable given the extent of the original injury.

Ongoing pain and restricted mobility

The fracture eventually healed, but the alignment was very poor, meaning George now suffers significant and chronic pain and restricted mobility in the leg, particularly when the weather is cold. Moreover, the injury has had a profound effect on his quality of life as he is unable to participate in sports. Sport was previously an important part of his life - and he now also struggles to keep up with the requirements of his physically demanding job.

The team at JMW were able to obtain expert evidence suggesting that a far better alignment would have been achieved had the fracture been surgically pinned rather than manipulated, meaning George would probably have been able to return to his pre-accident level of activity.

Compensation

After the case was taken on by the medical negligence experts at JMW, compensation totalling £100,000 was secured to help George to cope with his disability.