Catherine Furnish

Associate

Specialisms and expertise

Catherine has a broad experience in both personal injury and clinical negligence claims. Her experience in personal injury work includes experience of road traffic accidents, accidents at work, occupier's liability and fatal accidents. She has extensive knowledge of clinical negligence claims including claims against dentists, private and NHS hospitals and GPs.

Notable cases

• A case involving a minor who had a serious head injury sustained when she was run over by a car when she ran into the road. It was accepted that the child bore a high degree of contributory negligence for the accident and that if the case had proceeded to trial, a substantial reduction would have been made to the damages to reflect contributory negligence. There was also a risk that the case would fail altogether. Catherine successfully recovered £100,000 for the minor on the first day of the liability trial.
• A claim for clinical negligence on behalf of a client who contracted a severe infection in her arm when the defendant hospital failed to use an aseptic technique when performing a haematoma block. The infection was not recognised by the defendant hospital and she was not admitted for treatment. Failure to treat resulted in radical surgery with a skin graft. The client was left with a loss of function which could have been avoided had the client been treated appropriately. The loss of function affected her ability to work and care for herself. Catherine successfully recovered £220,000 following the issue of proceedings and shortly before a liability trial was due to take place.
• L v Medway NHS Foundation Trust (2009) - patient admitted for gynaecological surgery. Surgeon negligently failed to repair partial lesion of large bowel which later perforated leading to admission to intensive care, emergency laparotomy (also negligently performed) and colostomy. Patient underwent numerous further tests and procedures over the following years and suffered gross abdominal disfigurement and a severe depressive reaction. Liability was denied until a few weeks before a liability trial and the case subsequently settled for £225,000. File shared with Graham Bell.

Profile

Catherine joined Thomson Snell & Passmore in September 2003 having trained to be a Solicitor at Pannone & Partners and qualified as a Solicitor in 1994. Catherine is a modern languages graduate. She  studied the Law Society's Common Professional Examination before qualifying as a Solicitor.

Before joining Thomson Snell & Passmore, Catherine worked in Bristol as a Panel Solicitor for a large legal expenses insurance company. She moved to Thomson Snell & Passmore when she got married and now works in both the Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury teams .

Catherine will be happy to give advice on any queries relating to clinical negligence or personal injury claims.