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A nightmare medical negligence ordeal has ended with a $1.2 million payout to a former landscaper.
Ibrahim, 34, now has the means and confidence to get his life back on track, but admits he will never forget about the shocking treatment he received at the hands of a medical professional he put his trust in.
“My injury should never have resulted into something permanent, but because of the serious mismanagement of my doctor, it has,” Ibrahim said.
“Thankfully, I’ve had a good support network in place with family and professional and compassionate legal guidance with Law Partners. I owe this result to Law Partners – their services are a must for any person who has been let down by their doctor or any other medical professional, like I was.”
In May 2017, while mountain biking, Ibrahim suffered a serious wrist injury when he slammed into a tree and his right hand became wedged between the handlebars and the trunk of the tree.
Ibrahim visited a General Practitioner at his medical center who referred him for an x-ray. Before receiving the radiologist’s report, the GP inaccurately interpreted the x-ray herself and communicated to Ibrahim that there was no break and to just ice his wrist.
The GP received the report the next day confirming that Ibrahim had sustained a slight break of the scaphoid bone in the wrist (which requires urgent medical treatment in the form of a cast or surgery). The GP instructed her receptionist to call Ibrahim to make an appointment to come in, but didn’t tell her that she should mention he needed urgent treatment.
Given the lack of urgency in the message, Ibrahim interpreted it as just a need for a follow-up, and as the wrist was feeling a little better, he decided not to return the call and continue working as a landscaper.
Ibrahim’s GP made no attempt to contact him again and almost six weeks after the injury, Ibrahim rang the medical center to book in an appointment as his wrist was very sore and preventing him from picking up tools at work. He saw a different GP who referred him for another x-ray and was immediately referred to hospital when the GP received the report confirming a severe fracture.
Ibrahim was diagnosed with a non-union fracture of the scaphoid bone and his wrist was placed into a cast. He was then booked into surgery a few weeks later to unite the broken bones but the surgery was unsuccessful as the surgeon discovered ‘dead’ bone caused by a lack of immobilization and delayed surgery. This dead bone had to be removed and the uniting of the bones could not be achieved.
Ibrahim could no longer work, ride his bike or complete simple tasks such as brushing his teeth with his injured wrist. He was forced to move in with his mother, Marie and became extremely anxious about his future from a career and social life perspective.
Coincidentally, Ibrahim was watching a TV show one night that touched on medical mistakes which really resonated with him and his situation. He Googled ‘medical mistakes’ and ‘medical negligence’ and came across Law Partners. He was keen to give them a call but had never dealt with lawyers before and asked his mum if she could speak to them on his behalf.
“To be honest, there were a few people at the hospital when Ibrahim was getting his cast done that mentioned he may have a medical negligence claim. But I didn’t know about these things and my focus was on him and helping take care of him then and there,” Marie revealed.
“Luckily, he came across it again and then heard about Law Partners, because I don’t think anyone else could have handled this process any better from start to finish. From the first call, we spoke to a specialist who made it clear we had a very strong case and then the next day we met with our lawyer. It was seamless.”
Law Partners’ medical negligence team managed Ibrahim’s claim and immediately gathered and analysed the current evidence. They also arranged for an independent hand surgeon to assess Ibrahim’s function and likelihood that his injury would have healed had he received the proper treatment.
As suspected, the expert’s report confirmed that Ibrahim would have made a full recovery had his GP recommended a cast be applied and referred him to the hospital emergency department. And after gaining a thorough understanding of how the injury impacted Ibrahim’s life and career ambitions for the future, Law Partners outlined their intention to pursue a lump sum payout for pain and suffering and past and future income loss.
Armed with solid medical evidence and an intimate knowledge of the overall effects of the injury on Ibrahim’s life, Law Partners put together an extremely solid case that ultimately convinced the presiding judge to award a whopping $1.2 million in lump sum compensation along with domestic assistance.
“The commitment my legal team displayed throughout the whole claim blew me away. They explained early on how important it was for them to get a thorough understanding of my situation, and by the end I felt like they knew me better than I knew myself – which I know was so crucial when it came time to present to the judge
“My wrist will never be the same again, but thanks to Law Partners, I now have the means to plan for a brighter future. One I didn’t think was possible not too long ago.”
To learn more, read our Guide to Medical Negligence Payouts in Australia.
If you’ve received medical treatment that was negligent, unreasonably delayed or misdiagnosed and you’re unsure about whether you’re eligible for compensation or need help with your claim, there’s no cost to have a chat with a medical negligence lawyer. Law Partners has offices in Melbourne and Sydney, including Newcastle and Parramatta with specialist medical negligence lawyers ready to help. Call Law Partners on 13 15 15 for free advice today.
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