Over £10 million compensation secured for eight-year-old boy with cerebral palsy

RWK Goodman’s Kerstin Scheel and Abigail Ringer have secured a settlement of more than £10 million for a little boy, L, who suffered from a shortage of oxygen at the time of his birth at Worthing Hospital in Sussex.

L lives with brain damage as a result of the shortage of oxygen and has quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Since L was born, his family have struggled to pay for the therapy and equipment he needed but he now has the funds to access the best equipment and therapy to maximise his quality of life.

What difference has the settlement made to L?

L requires care around the clock. Before his successful claim for compensation, L's parents were exhausted with meeting L's needs throughout the day and the night. They worried about L's future when they were no longer there to care for him. The compensation received will now provide the care L will need for the rest of his life.

L’s mum said to us following the settlement:

"This settlement is absolutely life changing for L. We can now afford to purchase equipment to support him that is innovative, moulded and tailored to his exact body shape and his specific needs.

L is also able to work with a team of highly specialist therapists who are brilliant and cover all aspects of his therapy requirements, in time frames that are personalised to his development. He now has a fantastic team of support workers that provide care to an exceptional standard and assist L with accessing his environment.

L’s everyday life has been completely enriched and we are so excited for his future."

What does the settlement mean for L’s parents?

The care that L can now receive of course reduces the strain on L’s parents. They had this to say after the settlement:

"For us, as L’s parents, the claim has brought more to his life than we ever imagined. It was a long process but one we would do again in a heartbeat for him.

With the combined support of his legal team at RWK Goodman, his care and therapy team, and family, he is now in control of so much of his life. The compensation secured has opened so many doors for him that would never have been opened without the claim.

We have hope that L will develop further than expected as a direct result. As parents, this claim has provided us with assurance that L will be cared for, fully supported and given the best quality of life possible for the remainder of his life, however long or short that may be."

What was your experience of the process of obtaining compensation?

The process of claiming compensation can be a daunting one, especially when a child is injured. However, for L’s parents there was never a doubt that they would seek financial redress for what happened to their son:

"We have found the process of investigating the claim a whole mixture of emotions. Every part has pulled at our hearts and the fight as parents is both daunting and challenging however this was not a decision for us, it was a necessity for our son. He needed us to support him through this life-changing claim so he could have the best chance in life.

Thankfully for us, we chose to be supported by RWK Goodman. It was our best decision. The team were compassionate throughout every step, informative and all worked alongside us like an extended family from start to finish. I cannot imagine what our journey would have looked like without their support, and we will be forever grateful for the difference they have made for our family, and especially for L."

The compensation has been calculated carefully to ensure L has everything he needs for his lifetime. It will cover every cost associated with his brain injury from the provision of care to the additional cost of wheelchair accessible holiday accommodation. With the provision of the very best treatment and therapies, we now look forward to watching L reach his full potential.