JMW has successfully obtained £5,000 compensation for a man after delayed wrist surgery led to ongoing issues.

Steve fell on his outstretched left hand whilst on a night out socialising with friends. He experienced immediate pain but hoped that the pain would subside over the course of the evening.

The following day, as the pain had persisted overnight, Steve attended A&E. He was seen by an Orthopaedic Surgeon and an x-ray was performed. A fracture was identified and his left hand was manipulated and placed in a cast.

Five days later Steve attended the fracture clinic and a further x-ray was taken, which was said to be satisfactory. Steve complained that he did not feel that all was well with his wrist, but he was assured that everything was fine. A new cast was applied.

By the following week, Steve’s wrist was visibly distorted. He had a further follow-up appointment one month later where it was noted that there was a malunion of the fracture and limited movement at his wrist. Steve was advised that the best course of action would be physiotherapy and splinting at night.

Ongoing difficulties

Over the following month, Steve noted ongoing difficulties with his wrist. He was experiencing numbness and pins and needles in his thumb and numbness in his ring finger. He also felt restricted in his ability to carry out his horticultural studies.

At a meeting with his physiotherapist, Steve advised that he was dissatisfied with his healing progress and wanted to explore the possibility of realignment of his wrist.

Steve was referred back to the Orthopaedic Surgeons but encountered a delay in being assessed for surgery. It was a further 6 months until he underwent surgery to repair the fracture.

Thankfully Steve made a good recovery from the surgery and currently has minimal symptoms in his wrist, though experiences discomfort every now and again.

Settlement

The case was settled by one of JMW’s expert solicitors for £5,000.