Any delay in diagnosing a bone fracture can have very serious consequences for the patient, but this is a frequent cause for complaint and a common trigger for orthopaedic negligence claims.
A fracture is painful enough already, however it was caused, but without a prompt diagnosis you can suffer additional pain. A fracture that goes undiagnosed can start to heal in the wrong position, or the patient could start to use the affected part of the body when it is advisable to keep it still and immobile.
Delays in diagnosis can also lead to painful, complicated and expensive corrective surgery, so you are entitled to seek compensation to cover all these areas of discomfort, distress and expense and to help you recover as fully and as painlessly as possible.
How does an undiagnosed fracture occur?
There are a number of ways a fracture can go undetected by a medical professional:
- An x-ray may not be requested
- An x-ray did not show an obvious sign of the fracture
- An x-ray was incorrectly executed and so the fracture did not show up
- An error led to the x-ray results not being passed on to your doctor
To be able to pursue a valid claim you have to prove that negligence has led to a delay in diagnosis, and this delay has directly resulted in damage and further injury.
Contact us on 0113 284 5000 or clinneg@isonharrison.co.uk for further information and free advice.
