Pages On: Head & Brain Injuries

More cash for brain cancer research e-petition launched

Posted: 9 February 2016

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, Negligent Cancer Diagnosis

An e-petition has been started by Maria Lester in an appeal to lobby for more cash to be made available for research into brain cancer. The petition is being supported by Brain Tumour Research and the Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and comes following the death of former Loughborough Grammar School pupil, Michael Smith in November of last year.  27-year-old Michael lost his fight against cancer after battling with the disease for two and a half years. During that time, he seemed to be reacting well to chemo and radiotherapy, however he…

More investment needed for head injury support

Posted: 16 July 2015

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Sporting Injuries

After a student from Monmouthshire was left paralysed following an injury playing rugby, a brain charity has called for more to be done within head injury support services. 19-year-old Angus Swanson was in a coma for three weeks after he collapsed at the side of the pitch during a university game against King’s College in London. He was told by doctors that he would never be able to play rugby again. Brain injury charity Headway has called for a surge of investment in support services for those that have suffered…

Head Injuries

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Personal Injury

One of the most common, and dangerous injuries we deal with are head injuries. Head injuries can vary in severity, from concussions or severe bruising to a gash or fractured skull, and can occur in almost any accident. Regardless of the extent of your injury, if you receive a head injury, it can cause immediate and long-lasting problems. Severe headaches, dizziness, double vision, disability, and even death are all possible as a result of a blow to the head. While holding those responsible to account and seeking compensation is important,…

Family awarded compensation for operation leading to mother’s death

Posted: 3 March 2015

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Medical Negligence, Wrongful & Accidental Death

The family of a woman who suffered a severe brain injury in hospital has been awarded compensation for their suffering. 62-year-old Margaret Parsons was being treated in the University Hospital of Wales for coronary heart disease when the incident happened. Following her heart surgery, Mrs Parsons complained of breathing difficulties because of phlegm in her throat. Hospital staff failed to recognise this as a cause for concern. It was found that as a result of staff failing to clear the mucus from her airways, her airways became obstructed. She then suffered a…

Swindon man wins £4million in compensation after car accident

Posted: 31 October 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents, Head & Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A man from Swindon has been awarded £4million in compensation after a serious car crash left him “too angry to work”. Paul Vallance from Baydon, near Malborough, suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident in 2006.  At the time of the accident doctors were unaware of the severity of the damage, but a few months later he lost his job due to anger issues. It was then found by doctors that the brain injury he suffered had affected his ability to exercise self-control or regulate his language use.…

Surfer suffers serious brain injury

Posted: 25 September 2014

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Sporting Injuries

One of Britain’s top female surfers suffered a life-threatening brain injury in 2008 and continues to battle for compensation.  22-year-old Gwen Spurlock had been testing a new wave simulator at a Swansea leisure centre when the accident happened.  She received compensation from the leisure company but is still fighting to win compensation from the simulator-providers. The accident happened in 2008 when the new wave simulator through her off-balance, causing her to bash her head against the side.  After complaining of double vision immediately after the incident, she suffered a seizure…

Walker falls 20ft due to loose rock

Posted: 20 September 2014

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Leg Injuries, Public Place Accidents

Loose rocks have been recognised by a mountain rescue worker as an increasing problem on Snowdonia’s peaks as yet another walker has fallen as result of them. The man had been walking at the base of Tryfan’s North Ridge when a rock that he had been holding on to gave way, causing him to fall 20ft.  He suffered serious injuries to his head and leg. The accident happened on Wednesday, 17th September, with Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue called out just before 4pm. One member of the rescue team, Chris Lloyd,…

£800k compensation to schoolchildren

Posted: 18 July 2014

Posted in: Car Accidents, Finger Injuries, Foot Injuries, Head & Brain Injuries, Public Place Accidents, School Accidents

New figures have revealed that in the last five years the local authorities in Wales have paid out more than £800,000 in compensation to injured schoolchildren and legal fees.  Successful claimants included one child with a severed thumb, and another that was knocked down by a vehicle driven by a teacher.  The amount paid by the councils over the last five academic years amounted to £811,834.86, covering both the cost of damages and legal fees. One council – Neath Port Talbot – paid out a total of £309,535, with one…

Cycle helmets cause other road users to give cyclists less space

Posted: 18 June 2014

Posted in: Bicycle Accidents, Head & Brain Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A neurosurgeon recently referred to cycle helmets as “flimsy” and a “waste of time”, sparking the debate about the benefits of cycle helmets in the media all over again.  Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh formed this argument based on the findings of the University of Bath, which suggested that other road users do not give cyclists with helmets as much space on the roads as those without, as they presume that they are experienced and more predictable. Professor of traffic psychology, Dr Ian Walker, carried out this research and found that motorists…

Cyclist sues council £50,000 for serious head injuries

Posted: 11 June 2014

Posted in: Bicycle Accidents, Head & Brain Injuries, Knee Injury, Pothole Injuries, Road Traffic Accidents

A cyclist is suing Gwynedd council for £50,000 damages after his bike hit a pothole in 2009. 56-year-old Melvyn Griffiths from Blaenau Ffestiniog was left with serious head injuries and broken bones after he was thrown over the handlebars of his bike when it hit a pothole.  After his bid for damages was rejected last year, he has been granted permission to challenge this decision.  He is now due to argue his case before three of the country’s most senior judges at the Court of Appeal in London. It was…

Payouts to teachers at all time high

Posted: 27 April 2014

Posted in: Arm Injury, Head & Brain Injuries, Neck Injuries, School Accidents, Workplace Injuries, Workplace Slip

New figures have revealed that in the last year alone, teachers have been awarded tens of millions of pounds in compensation for accidents at work.  The figures found there to have been a great increase in payouts to school staff, with the total reaching a record level.  Information produced by three of the UK’s largest unions showed that school staff were being awarded five or six-figure payouts, which totaled more than £40 million last year. The UK’s largest teachers’ union, NASUWT, said that they had secured 30% more compensation for…

Baby girl dies following dog bite

Posted: 6 April 2014

Posted in: Animal Attacks, Head & Brain Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

An inquest has heard that a six-day-old baby girl died as a result of her family dog pulling her out of her pram and biting her.  It was found that she died of severe head injuries; a coroner ruled her death to be accidental.  Eliza-Mae Mullane, from Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, was flown immediately to a hospital the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff following the attack in February, but could not be saved. Doctors pronounced her dead shortly after her arrival. Eliza-Mae’s father has warned parents of the potential danger of family…

Mountain climber airlifted to hospital following serious fall

Posted: 11 November 2013

Posted in: Arm Injury, Head & Brain Injuries, Spine & Back Injuries

This weekend saw two climbers being airlifted from a cliff in Gwynedd by the RAF after one of the climbers fell and was knocked unconscious.  The pair had been climbing at Tremadog near Porthmadog when the accident occurred.  Originally from Leeds, they had been scaling a cliff in Gwynedd – a popular climbing route known as “Christmas curry” – when one of them fell 10m (32ft) and emergency services had to be alerted. The accident occurred on Saturday just before 16:00 when the sun was already starting to go down. …

Football club faces charges over death of young boy

Posted: 8 October 2013

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries, Public Place Accidents, Sporting Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death

Managers of a Powys football club have been accused of breaching health and safety laws after a goalpost fell and killed a 12-year-old boy.  Casey Breese from Powys had been playing with some friends on a Caersws recreational ground in July 2011, when a poorly secured metal goalpost fell and struck him on the head. The case, which was brought to court by the Powys County Council, has been adjourned without a plea to Mold Crown Court on the 18th of October. The club will be prosecuted under the Health…

Lack of brain-injury facilities in Wales

Posted: 6 September 2013

Posted in: Head & Brain Injuries

Experts are concerned that Wales does not have sufficient facilities to cope with the growing number of people suffering disabilities caused by trauma to the head.  Prof Rodger Wood of Swansea University believes that Wales will require at least another four head trauma centres in order to cope with the continuously increasing strain.  His belief is that millions could be saved every year through an increase in rehabilitation units. The Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Trust – where Prof Rodger Wood was clinical director until 2001 – is due to open…

Building firm in court over life-threatening injuries

Posted: 18 December 2012

Posted in: Falls from Heights, Head & Brain Injuries, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries

A building firm has appeared in court after a plumber suffered life-threatening injuries in a fall at an outdoor activities centre near Gwynfe in Carmarthenshire. The 64-year-old man was working on the refurbishment of an accommodation block at the site when he fell three metres in March this year. He lost consciousness and suffered a bleed to his brain, a fracture to his cheek bone, bruised ribs and further damage to his existing back condition. He now requires morphine for his back pain and has been unable to return to…