A little girl in the UK has won a medical negligence claim for a very serious misdiagnosis this week. Kate Pierce, now six, was taken in and diagnosed with viral tonsillitis, when in fact, she had the often deadly pneumococcal meningitis. Then only nine months old, the girl was seen by a trainee doctor that lied about having received a second opinion when asked by her parents.
Whether it be in the UK or even in the US, many medical malpractice lawyers have seen cases such as this before. When you feel as though there is something not quite on the level and your quality of care has been compromised as a result, it is always important to be sure.
Because of this misdiagnosis, vital treatment was delayed. In cases of pneumococcal meningitis, it is important to be not only diagnosed, but treated as soon as possible so that no long term damage occurs. Pneumococcal meningitis is a very serious condition that causes inflammation of the brain and also, the spinal cord. This disease can cause paralysis, deafness and in some cases, death. In Kate’s case, the child was left blind and deaf, has chronic lung disease and severe epilepsy. Her life expectancy is also cut short significantly.
The parents were pleased with the outcome of the case, but say that it
is not enough. They want to be sure that the health board is doing all
that it can to prevent this occurring to any other children. Says father
Mark Pierce, “Kate’s life expectancy has been severely reduced
and we have had to spend six years of that precious time with her battling
with the [health] board.”
If you or a loved one has experienced problems with misdiagnosis or you
feel that your medical care was not up to standard, it’s important
to contact Snyder and Snyder's team of
Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers right away. Having someone on your side to fight for your rights can make
all the difference in the outcome of these types of cases.