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.