25th April 2007

Maesteg Man Awarded Substantial Compensation Following Life-Threatening Surgical Error

A 60 year old man from Llangynwyd, Maesteg, has been awarded a substantial six figure compensation payout after a surgical operation that went wrong at the Princess of Wales Hospital in March 2004. At the time of the incident, Mr Stuart Duncan, a former Safety Practitioner at the Georgia-Pacific Mill in Maesteg, was undergoing what should have been simple keyhole surgery to his gall bladder.

During the 'day case' the surgeon operating on Mr Duncan severed his common bile duct. As a result bile, which is extremely corrosive, had been flowing directly into Mr Duncan's abdominal cavity. Mr Duncan was discharged from hospital, but felt extremely uncomfortable. The next day he was taken back to the hospital by ambulance, feeling very unwell, whereupon exploratory surgery revealed the extent of the problem. The surgeon who had operated on Mr Duncan immediately admitted the mistake.

Critical Condition

Mr Duncan was transferred to Intensive Care and from there for specialist surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. By this time septicaemia had set in and Mr Duncan was in a critical condition, suffering multi organ failure.

Commenting on Mr Duncan's case, his solicitor, Cathryn Davies of Thompsons Solicitors, Clear Answers' lawyers, in Cardiff said: "By the time he was discharged from Bristol in June 2004, Mr Duncan had undergone nine operative procedures. On numerous occasions his family thought that he wouldn't pull through. Even after being discharged he required further major surgery as a result of complications in April 2005.

"This should have been a relatively simple operation which is carried out every day in this country, however Mr Duncan experienced a very traumatic time, during which he also lost his job because he couldn't work. The family were left in serious financial difficulty. Our aim was to secure maximum compensation which will now go some way towards helping them to put their life back together."

Long Term Affects

Since the incident Mr Duncan's condition has improved, but he is permanently incapacitated because he has a large abdominal hernia as a result of the surgery.

Commenting, Mr Duncan said: "This error has caused me a lot of pain and my wife a lot of unnecessary stress and worry. I'm glad at least that I've been able to secure compensation for what I've been through. I'm grateful to Thompsons Solicitors for their support, and to my wife, family and friends, and also to the medical staff at the Bristol Royal Infirmary who've helped me through this difficult period."

The BBC have also covered this story at "Payout for botched surgery victim"

Compensation Claim

If you or anyone you know has suffered as a result of medical negligence telephone us now for compensation claim advice.

Clear Answers' solicitors are experts in medical negligence and all other personal injury matters. We will be able to advise you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation. Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy to talk you through the process of making a claim in plain English and will be happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.

If you have a medical negligence compensation claim and instruct Clear Answers to deal with the matter for you, we will recover our legal fees from the person responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now on 0800 783 9019 or complete one of our online compensation claim forms.

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