Orthopaedic injury negligence claims

Orthopaedic and spinal injury claims are complex. We have a long history of dealing with compensation claims resulting from medical negligence during spinal surgery or other orthopaedic treatment.

Contact one of our specialist orthopaedic lawyers for a free initial consultation to find out if we can investigate your case with the financial security of a ‘no win no fee’ agreement.

When can you make a compensation claim for orthopaedic injury?

Orthopaedic injury cases usually arise out of medical negligence during surgery and can have serious consequences such as loss of mobility and paraplegia or the total loss of the use of an arm or hand.

Medical negligence cases involving more general orthopaedic treatment often relate to negligent interpretation of x-rays either by a surgeon or radiologist or a delay in providing the necessary surgery.

Common orthopaedic injuries include:

• Negligent spinal surgery (often micro-discectomy, laminectomy or spinal fusion (TLIF, ALIF or PLIF)
• Not properly gaining consent for surgery
• Negligent shoulder surgery (often involving the rotator cuff)
• Negligent hip surgery
• Negligent arthroscopy
• Negligent ankle surgery
• Negligent ligament surgery
• Misdiagnosed fracture claims (often involving the scaphoid in the wrist)
• Negligent diagnosis of slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE) claims
• Use of defective artificial hip claims
• Use of the wrong artificial hip claims
• Failure to diagnose and treat lower limb compartment syndrome
• Errors of x-ray interpretation
• Failures relating to prosthesis safety
• Failures in post-operative care including monitoring of blood pressure and infection management
• Increasing infection risk through unnecessary treatment, including sepsis.
• Fracture diagnosis delay
• Joint replacement issues
• Wrong site surgery
• Post-operative infection including sepsis
• Diagnosis delay of congenital hip dysplasia/developmental hip dysplasia
• Equipment malfunction
• Nerve damage.

You can also bring a clinical negligence claim for spinal injury on behalf of a child, a matter with which our team of spinal injury lawyers are equally qualified to assist you.

What will happen when I make an orthopaedic negligence claim?

After contacting Thomson Snell & Passmore we will arrange a free initial consultation to discuss whether there is a legal claim and what funding options are available. We usually act on a ‘no win no fee’ agreement.

We will undertake a forensic investigation into the management or treatment you received in hospital or your GP surgery, using your account of what happened, and your medical records and radiological imaging. Medical experts (usually consultants in orthopaedics, spinal rehab, neurosurgery and radiology) may be involved at an early stage to consider the treatment and management you received, and to advise us on the standards of care that should have been provided, and the outcome that would have been achieved with appropriate treatment. Following this initial investigation we can then advise you on the strength of your case, and give detailed advice on the next steps, which usually starts with preparing a formal letter of allegations to the relevant defendant.

How our clinical negligence solicitors can help with an orthopaedic compensation claim

We have one of the longest established and experienced clinical negligence teams in the country. Our medical negligence lawyers have a reputation for winning complex medical negligence cases and we have helped thousands of people claim compensation. The size of our clinical negligence team and the breadth of our knowledge in orthopaedic and spinal injury claims means it is likely that we have already succeeded in recovering compensation in similar circumstances to yours, across the full range of injury severity, from misdiagnosed fractures that recover after a few months, to cases involving paraplegia and tetraplegia rendering people dependant on others for the rest of their lives, worth many millions of pounds in compensation.

• Our overriding aim is to protect your interests and achieve the most advantageous outcome for the long term
• We will make sure your case is fully investigated
• We will focus on your individual requirements. Giving a personal service and acting with sensitivity are important to us
• We will create a team of specialist independent medical experts and a barrister with expertise in dealing with cases similar to your case
• We will make things as easy as possible and guide you through each stage of the process
• We can help you find out why the hospital or GP failed you and ensure that the same thing does not happen to somebody else.

Our accreditations

Our team has long been recognised and highly ranked by two of the most prestigious, independent guides to the legal profession ‘Chambers UK’ and ‘The Legal 500’.

We are also members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and affiliated to Action against Medical Accidents.

A number of your team members have individual accreditations and recognition in the legal directories which you can view on their profiles.

Free initial consultation

Contact one of our team of specialist clinical negligence lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation. We will listen to the circumstances of your medical treatment and give you clear advice on the chances of your receiving compensation in a clinical negligence claim. If we think you have a claim, we can investigate your case using the financial security of a ‘no win no fee’ agreement.

Call us or fill in our short enquiry form and we will assess your potential claim.

We are highly ranked by two of the most prestigious, independent guides to the legal profession ‘Chambers UK’ and ‘The Legal 500’.