It is always difficult to read reports whereby young children have been affected by injury, especially when it is serious and life threatening.

A recent case was reported whereby a boy aged 6 years old has received a settlement figure of £1,320,000.00 after he suffered brain damage following a fall at his nursery in 2004.

The young boy, now known to be James Pitcher, was in the care of Headstart Nursery in Croyden, South London when he fell from a changing table.
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* This article is based upon a news story that broke around the 1st of December 2009

Britain’s youngest serving soldier Jamie Cooper, 18 was injured whilst he served for England as a Royal Green Jacket Rifleman and was taken to be treated at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham alongside a number of wounded soldiers brought here to be treated.

Mr and Mrs Cooper, Jamie’s parents have written a formal letter to military leaders and also the NHS staff raising their concerns about the care that Jamie has received during his stay at the hospital.

The family have been very distressed by the poor level of care Jamie has received. One incident in particular that was particularly upsetting was when Jamie asked for his Colostomy bag to be emptied. Three different nursing staff were asked to do this for Jamie but nothing was done.
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The BBC have reported of a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on the A96 in Scotland on the Forres to Elgin Road in Alves.

The incident involved a van being driven by an anonymous 20 year old from Urquhart, Moray and a minibus carrying 10 individuals to work.

The collision happened at 07.20 and rendered the road closed for 8 hours whilst investigations took place and the road was cleared. It is also believed that another motorist also had to be taken to hospital in order to be treated for shock.
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A West Yorkshire man has been jailed following an attack on a two week old baby. The incident occurred in February 2008 when Matthew Masterman, 22, shook the baby, causing him serious injuries including broken ribs and brain haemorrhaging.

Judge Peter Benson, described the attack as “disturbing in the extreme”. The infant suffered fractures to his collarbone, ribs, knee and haemorrhaging to his brain, eyes and lower spine.

It was 12 hours before help was called for the baby.
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The Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust has been given a final warning for keeping people waiting too long in its accident and emergency department.

According to the BBC, the Trust could have board members removed if it does not improve. Monitor, the organisation which polices foundations hospitals, has lambasted the Trust for failing to reach targets for patients being seen in accident and emergency for the last three years.

This was one of several criticisms of the trust and as a result they will now have to submit performance data and action plan updates on a monthly basis.
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A hospital in Lancashire has been forced to issue an apology after a father had to deliver his own baby when a midwife left the room.

According to the BBC, Thomas Howard pressed the emergency button to summon staff to the room, but nobody came until after the baby was born.

His partner gave birth to their daughter Madeline on 26^th January 2010. The midwife who was supposed to be helping them through the pregnancy had apparently left the room to get Mr Howard’s partner Emily Baron’s medical notes.
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A council van which crashed in Northamptonshire, killing a worker, had had its brakes tested on several occasions, amid concerns that they were locking, an inquest has heard.

According to the BBC, Alan Heels, 19, reported the problem to mechanics on no less than three occasions before he was involved in a crash with a lorry in 2007.

The inquest heard that the van skidded and crashed when Mr Heels attempted to brake. The passenger in his vehicle a Mr Kieran O’Driscoll suffered multiple injuries in the crash and later died.
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The bacterium responsible for Legionnaires’ disease has been found in changing rooms at Northampton racecourse.

According to the BBC, the changing room was closed on 27^th January 2010 following routine testing.

Northampton Borough Council took action to disinfect the water supply and showers in the room. The Council has taken steps to ask a specialist firm to come in to the racecourse to see if there are any steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of this occurring in the future. The changing room will be closed this week to allow for work to be undertaken on the premises but the Council hopes to have the room reopened shortly.
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‘Whiplash‘ is the term used to describe a neck injury caused by the sudden movement of the head. This sudden movement causes damage to the ligaments and tendons in the neck. In a whiplash injury the ligaments are usually sprained, and although the ligament is not broken it usually takes a long time to heal.

A whiplash type injury usually causes the following symptoms:

• Neck pain or tenderness
• Neck stiffness
• Temporary loss of movement.

For more severe whiplash injuries the following symptoms can also be present

• Headaches
• Muscle spasms
• Pains in shoulders and arms
• Pins and needles in shoulder, arms and hands.
• Blurred vision
• Lower back pain
• Vertigo
• Ringing of the ear
• Sickness and more.

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Cigarettes are often derided for being bad for your health and I always thought lung cancer was the biggest risk to your health as a consequence of smoking. However, Mr Andi Susanto certainly got more than he bargained for when the cigarette he was smoking exploded, taking out six of his teeth.

 According to the BBC, Mr Susanto, an Indonesian man was riding a motorcycle when the cigarette exploded in his mouth. The makers of the cigarette, a company called PT Nojorono Tobacco, have offered him compensation for his injuries and he accepted a payment of £5 million rupiah and all his medical costs from them.

£5 million rupiah sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Well actually it’s a mere £335! That is a shockingly low figure given the gravity of Mr Susanto’s injuries. If he were in the UK and suffered such an injury then he would be entitled to a much higher level of compensation. According to the Judicial Studies Board guidelines, he could have been entitled to up to £15,000 compensation for the loss of several teeth.
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