Patience Bears Fruit for Victim of Negligent Drug Prescription

Patience and persistence are amongst the primary qualities required of any personal injury lawyer. That was certainly so in the case of a man in his 20s who, following an epic campaign by his legal team, received seven-figure compensation for the catastrophic consequences of a GP's negligence before he was born.

The man was delivered extremely prematurely, at just 24 weeks' gestation, after the GP prescribed an inappropriate drug to his pregnant mother. The drug had a known side-effect of inducing premature deliveries. He suffered arrested and impaired development and was left permanently disabled.

After proceedings were launched on his behalf, the GP's insurers admitted liability and made a £630,000 interim payment of damages. He was in his teens at that time but further detailed investigations were required as to the long-term impact of his injuries before an overall settlement of his claim could be finalised.

Years of determined negotiations, however, bore fruit when the insurers agreed to make a further lump-sum payment of £5.9 million to cover the cost of the care he will need throughout his life. The High Court approved the settlement sum which, gross of the interim payment, came to a total of £6.53 million.