David’s cases come in all shapes and sizes

I represented a client who had just had her first child. She went into a shop and picked up a hand basket for her shopping. She then noticed that there was blood on her hand. I think most of us would go to the nearest toilet to wash our hands or use a hankie to remove the blood.

Our client thought she had scratched her hand and licked the blood off her fingers. Within seconds she realised that she had not cut herself but had in fact picked up a basket which had blood on the handle. She thought the worst. She was worried whether she would get HIV or Aids. She immediately sought medical advice and was told to stop breastfeeding her son.

She was tested for HIV, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B and had to have a Hepatitis B vaccination. After three blood tests and one year from the date of the incident, she got the all clear. However, this obviously affected her psychologically.

In the claim the Defendants’ insurance company admitted liability. They accepted that the staff in the shop knew that a customer earlier in the day had cut themselves and bled on the basket. However, the shop took no steps to clean the blood off. I arranged for her to be medically examined. The medical expert made a diagnosis of
Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety.

She fully recovered from her injuries once she received the all clear from the hospital. The medical evidence was accepted by the Defendants and my client’s claim was settled for £4,600.

This case shows the variety of personal injury claims that can arise.

If you have had an accident and suffered injury or have been injured due to poor medical care, call us on 01226 731314 to see if we can help. We generally act on a ‘no win no fee’ basis.

This article is too brief to fully explain the law and should not be relied upon as legal advice.