Substantial Compensation for Hospital Failure to Treat Abscess

Karen Kearney and her team secured compensation, to include reimbursement of her doctors’ fees, medication costs, for a young woman who  was negligently treated when she attended hospital with  a parotid abscess (an abscess in her parotid gland), evidenced by swelling on the side of her face and which the hospital  failed to diagnose and treat due to negligence.

The appropriate treatment  would have been  IV antibiotics and  drainage of the abscess.

Because of the negligence, her abscess progressed so there was distortion of the airway from the  infection.

Had she not been treated elsewhere (the Defendant hospital refused to see her again) there was a risk to her life from a developing deep neck space infection and airway compromise.

She required urgent admission to another hospital  where she underwent imaging and the abscess drained.

She had to spent time in the Intensive Care Unit.

In addition to her physical injuries, she sustained psychological injuries.

She lost all faith in the medical profession.

She came to us looking for answers and accountability.

We requested her medical records.

We got reports from an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon (based in the UK to ensure independence) and he confirmed the treatment of our client by the first hospital was negligent.

We also got a report from an Infectious Disease expert who confirmed that but for the negligence, the risk to life and  ICU admission would have been avoided.

We brought a case against the negligent hospital.

We served proceedings on the hospital in July 2022.

We worked hard to progress our client’s  case.

We got the hospital to admit that that they breached their duty of care to our client in failing to adequately investigate the  swelling  and  that an earlier diagnosis would have resulted in a better outcome for our client.

In  November 2024, we secured an invitation to settlement talks from the solicitors for the insurance company for the hospital.

These talks were successful and we negotiated compensation for our client for her pain and suffering and her out of pocket expenses  which she was very happy with.

These talks were confidential and saved our client having to go to Court about which she was very nervous though she knew she was in safe hands with us.

She was thrilled to be able to put the case behind her.

She had achieved what she had set out to achieve:  answers as to what had gone wrong; an admission of wrongdoing by the hospital, reimbursement of her expenses and satisfactory compensation.

We were delighted to be able to assist her.

Contact us at Cantillons Solicitors at +353 (0)21 4275673 or info@cantillons.com  if you would like more information.

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