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An eight-year-old boy seriously brain damaged at birth has been awarded more
than £2.9m damages by the High Court.
The court was told that medical staff failed to spot danger signs during the
birth of Luke Warren at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital in 1991.
This has been a long, hard battle. We can now get on with giving
Luke the care he needs and deserves
June Stevens, Luke's mother
As a result, Luke, from Skegness, Lincolnshire, suffers from cerebral
palsy.
He will never be able to take care of himself.
The hospital has admitted that staff had failed to detect foetal distress,
and that if they had intervened earlier with a Caesarean section Luke would have
avoided injury.
Deputy High Court Judge Robert Smith QC, sitting in Sheffield, awarded
damages of £2,911,849.
The money will be used to cover the cost of Luke's continuing care, including
speech therapy, physiotherapy, housing, special educational needs and equipment.
It will also recompense his parents, June and Steven, who care for their son
full-time.
After the hearing, Mrs Warren said: "This has been a long, hard battle. We
can now get on with giving Luke the care he needs and deserves."
The failure by hospital staff to spot foetal distress meant Luke was in
effect born dead.
He was gradually revived and could breathe for himself within 20 minutes, but
by then had already suffered massive injuries.
Cannot sit independently
John Pickering, head of personal injury at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, who
acted for Luke and his family, said: "Luke is a happy young boy but he is so
disabled that he cannot sit independently and requires a walking frame or
electric wheelchair for mobility.
"He can now nearly spoon feed himself, but he requires assistance dressing
and undressing, and his communication skills are minimal.
"His family is dedicated to his care and both Luke's mother and father have
not been able to work since his birth because of the constant attention he
needs."
A spokesman for the Northern General Hospital NHS Trust said: "We deeply
regret the train of events that led to the damage caused to Luke during his
difficult birth.
"The trust has always accepted responsibility in this case. We recognise that
there were procedures that could have been improved and they now have. Human
error did occur and we very much regret it.
"Although tightening up procedures may not provide Mr and Mrs Warren with any
real comfort, we nevertheless offer our deepest sympathy and apologise
unreservedly for the effects this tragic accident has had on the family."
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