Date: 24 October 2011

A lorry driver who walked around for five months with a broken neck due to being misdiagnosed with whiplash has been awarded clinical negligence compensation. Crash victim Gary Rickard has won a cash settlement as a result of the mistake, which has led to him having restricted use of his right hand, reports the Coventry Telegraph.

But Mr Rickard stated that he is still not satisfied, as he is yet to receive an apology. "I'll keep fighting for that," he was quoted as saying by the news provider. Mr Rickard added that he asked doctors if they were joking when they told him he had a fracture in his neck, some five months after the initial accident.

This comes after six-year-old Leo Ison won a clinical negligence settlement worth close to £1 million after he had a leg amputated due to a blood clot that was not spotted quickly enough by doctors, BBC News reported.

Sandra Patton, a clinical negligence specialist at Ashton KCJ, adds: “Failures of diagnosis are among the most common errors we come across in our area of practice and can have long-lasting consequences for patients who otherwise would make a very good recovery. It is reasonable for anyone who presents with a medical problem to expect to have it competently diagnosed and treated and when it isn’t there is an understandable feeling of having been let down.”

If you've suffered an injury as the result of clinical negligence, the team at Ashton KCJ will be happy to advise you on whether you have a claim. For more information, please contact Sandra Patton.