Jessica has spent her entire career caring for others. As a disability support worker in northern NSW, she devoted her life to helping people live with dignity and independence. But when she suffered an unexpected fall at home, the kind of simple accident anyone could have, she suddenly found herself needing the very support she had always given to others.
What followed was a heartbreaking chain of medical failures that changed Jessica’s life forever. And when no one took responsibility, she turned to Law Partners.
A specialist lawyer will review your circumstances and tell you how much you can claim.
After Jessica’s fall, she went to her local hospital with severe back pain, assuming she’d suffered a disc injury. But unfortunately, there was no radiologist or neurosurgeon available to review her spine. Instead, she was sent away to get an MRI elsewhere, which she did the very next day.
That scan revealed something urgent and alarming: her cauda equina nerves were severely compressed. These nerves control bladder, bowel, sexual function, and leg movement. This type of nerve compression is a medical emergency, and it’s well known by neurosurgeons that surgery is typically needed within around 48 hours to avoid permanent damage.
The radiologist she had gone to immediately flagged the situation to the hospital’s on-call neurosurgeon, stressing that urgent action was required.
But instead of arranging emergency surgery, the neurosurgeon scheduled Jessica for an appointment nine days later. That decision changed the course of her life.
Without immediate surgery, Jessica’s nerve damage became permanent. She lost bladder and bowel control, suffered major weakness in her legs and feet affecting her ability to walk and balance, and endured constant shooting pains.
For someone who had spent her life caring for people with disabilities, becoming disabled herself now due to a preventable delay was a profound emotional blow.
Jessica needed answers, accountability, and support. That’s when she contacted Law Partners.
Senior Managing Solicitor Elizabeth Utting and her medical negligence team took on Jessica’s case with the compassion and thoroughness it deserved. They gathered detailed medical evidence, reconstructing the timeline and highlighting the missed opportunity for intervention.
Importantly:
Through careful negotiation, Elizabeth and her team secured a $2.9 million settlement for Jessica, reflecting the seriousness of her injuries and the substantial impact on every part of her life.
This compensation will support Jessica’s future medical care, ongoing nursing assistance, home and vehicle modifications, lost wages, pain and suffering, and vital psychological treatment.
For Jessica, the outcome was not just financial, it was an acknowledgment that she had been let down when she needed help the most.
She shared, “Elizabeth and the Law Partners team were wonderful. They kept me updated, treated me with so much care, and worked hard to get the best outcome possible. This was a life-changing experience for me and my family following such trauma, and I’m so grateful for everything they did so expertly to help us.”
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