Cauda Equina Claims

Reviewed by
Peter Rigby, Director of Medical Neglience

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Cauda Equina Claims

 

Cauda Equina is a medical emergency and should be treated as quickly as possible. Any failings in diagnosis, treatment or care can be serious, with devastating consequences for victims and their families. You may be entitled to claim compensation if you or a loved one has suffered from Cauda Equina syndrome that could have been prevented.

 

Making a Cauda Equina Claim

 

The consequences of Cauda Equina can be life changing. We have a specialist injury team that will take on your case and get the compensation and support you need following medical mismanagement of Cauda Equina syndrome. Our medical negligence lawyers have over 30 years experience and will help you understand:

 

  • If you have a medical negligence case
  • How your Cauda equina diagnosis and treatment was mishandled
  • The amount of compensation you could be entitled to
  • What compensation can help you with for the future
  • How the No Win No Fee Agreement works

We're the highest-rated No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitors on Trustpilot



What is a Cauda Equina claim?

 

Medical negligence claims regarding Cauda Equina usually arise from negligent surgery and/or medical delays. The Cauda Equina is a group of nerves at the bottom end of your spine. Cauda Equina Syndrome occurs when these nerves are damaged through compression. Cauda Equina can start slowly with some lower back pain, or can come on very quickly. If Cauda Equina has a slow onset, your symptoms may have been dismissed or diagnosed as something else, allowing the condition to get worse. With a rapid onset, speed is key and treatment should begin as soon as possible. In either case, if your signs or symptoms were misdiagnosed, treatment was delayed or surgery was not carried out correctly, you could have a claim for Cauda Equina compensation.

 

Causes of Cauda Equina

 

The most common cause of Cauda Equina is a herniated disc. Other possible causes and red flags for Cauda Equina include;

 

  • Narrowing of the spinal canal
  • Lesions on the spine 
  • Malignant tumours on the spine
  • Inflammation or an infection on the spine
  • Genetic defects or defects caused during birth
  • Inadequate spinal surgery or after care

 

We have helped many patients whose Cauda Equina occurred in relation to these common causes. Healthcare professionals have a duty of care and any signs and symptoms relating to these issues should be investigated properly to avoid Cauda Equina advancing.

 

Signs and symptoms of Cauda Equina

 

With Cauda Equina, some symptoms are referred to as ‘red flag symptoms’ because they give a clear sign that the Cauda Equina nerves are being decompressed, and should be acted on very quickly. Typical symptoms include:

 

  • Severe lower back pain
  • Leg weaknesses 
  • Saddle paraesthesia (a numb sensation between the legs, genitals or buttocks)
  • Incontinence (the bladder or the bowel)
  • Sexual dysfunction or loss of sexual sensation

 

The only way to confirm Cauda Equina syndrome is with an MRI scan. Ideally, it needs to be caught within a few hours followed by surgery to decompress the spine. GPs and consultants should be alert to these symptoms in order to act quickly.

 

You find further help and support to understand your Cauda Equina syndrome from Cauda Equina UK.

 

How do I know if I can make a claim?

 

We have helped hundreds of people claim compensation for Cauda Equina negligence. You are able to make a claim if any of the following occurred at any point during your Cauda Equina diagnosis or during surgery:

 

  • Misdiagnosis of ‘red flag’ symptoms leading to the avoidable progression of the syndrome
  • Inadequate surgery leading to permanent damage and ongoing operations. 
  • Failure to even receive decompression surgery
  • Delayed treatment e.g. delayed MRI scans.

 

Cauda Equina patients can suffer from life-limiting disabilities such as incontinence or permanent pain, even if the medical treatment is good. As this condition is so serious, delayed or negligent treatment means that you could be entitled to claim compensation. 

 

What can I expect?

 

It is estimated that compensation figures for Cauda Equina claims will reach £150m to £200m a year. The amount you will receive will depend on the impact on your daily life. Compensation is most often awarded for:

 

  • Changes to your home to help with loss of mobility
  • Additional household aids
  • Cost of care eg. if you are no longer able to carry out tasks like shopping or housework. 
  • Loss of earnings if you can no longer work
  • Physical therapy to aid recovery 
  • Sexual dysfunction and the effects of this on your life and wellbeing
  • Emotional distress and suffering

 

Why Choose Us

 

Patient Claim Line has over 100 expert medical negligence lawyers based throughout the UK. We have the expertise and resources of an established company, but the compassion, care and friendliness of a local solicitor. We have helped thousands of patients make claims for negligent medical care and pursued compensation for those whose lives have changed because Cauda Equina syndrome was not caught or operated on early enough. We investigate every aspect of your claim to get you the maximum amount possible.

 

No Win No Fee Cauda Equina Claims 

 

Your initial consultation is completely free and there is no obligation to use Patient Claim Line for your claim. If you do decide to go ahead with your Cauda Equina claim, it will be completely No Win, No Fee so you don’t pay a penny upfront. Facing life after Cauda Equina can be a very difficult time for you and your loved ones. We do everything we can to make claiming compensation as stress free as possible and so unless we win, you don’t have to pay a thing.

 

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Why Choose Patient Claim Line for your Cauda Equina claim?


Not just lawyers — medical negligence experts

Patient Claim Line was established in 2014 and consists of a team of medical lawyers specialising in medical negligence and misdiagnosis claims.

At Patient Claim Line we have more than 100 solicitors with combined experience of over 400 years and they will work on your behalf to achieve the best result possible for you.

It’s not enough to use a solicitor who sometimes covers medical negligence. You need someone who knows this area through and through. That is what the solicitors here at Patient Claim Line do. They deal exclusively in this area of law and are experts in the field.


Frequently asked questions about Cauda Equina Claims

Our expert legal team answer your questions about making an Cauda Equina claim

 


Meet our medical negligence team

Peter Rigby

Peter Rigby
Director of Medical Negligence

Peter leads the Medical Negligence Serious Injury department, which now boasts some of our most knowledgeable, dedicated and hardworking team members.

Peter is dedicated to supporting victims of catastrophic medical negligence injuries and endeavours to provide a clear and coherent approach to claims. He recognises the effects serious injuries can have and therefore ensures his customers’ need for support is met. Peter also has a vast amount of experience working with customers who have been injured abroad and is able to act under international law to provide the best outcomes.

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Christian Beadell

Christian Beadell
Partner, Head of Strategy and Legal Operations

Christian is Head of Medical Negligence at Patient Claim Line and has specialised in clinical negligence claims since qualifying in 1998; having dealt with a wide variety of claims throughout his career. He is also featured in the Legal 500 as a recommended claimant solicitor in the North West.

Christian qualified as a solicitor in 1998, specialising in clinical negligence. From 2010 onward he has had a particular interest in gynaecological and urogynaecological claims, having represented several hundred claimants in the George Rowland Litigation against the Liverpool Women’s and Aintree Hospitals. This investigated the treatment given to women in the Merseyside area over several decades, and in particular focused on the introduction and development of mesh into the UK in both the treatment of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. The development of this area involved pursuing claims under a unique ADR protocol with the NHS and also looking to develop the current thinking on the valuation of compensation for complex urinary symptoms. He has successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation on behalf of my clients.

Christian was also involved in setting up and chairing a Claimant Support Group for those involved in the Rowland litigation, which provided a discussion forum for the many women who were left isolated and damaged by negligent gynaecological treatment. He now co-ordinates the firm’s mesh claims and has delivered training and commented extensively on the medico-legal implications of urogynaecological / mesh complications. He is a member of APIL, Liverpool Law Society and Legal 500 recommended.

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Francesca Paul

Francesca Paul
Associate Solicitor

Francesca Paul is an Associate, Senior Solicitor and Team Leader within the Clinical Negligence Department.  She is one of the driving Solicitors in the Group Litigation Team dealing with this niche and specialist area of work that Fletchers undertakes.   

Francesca previously worked in Nottingham, dealing with Group Action work.  She now works at Fletchers, bringing with her those years of experience heading up a team of 10 people.  Francesca is involved in the early identification of potential new Group Litigation Work and analyses information from the collective pool of new enquiries into the business, of which there are hundreds per week looking for hot spots or recurrent issues which might suggest a potential pool of Claimants.   

One of the highlights for Francesca and her team is that they have successfully recovered over a million pounds in compensation for clients who have received treatment from a single orthopaedic surgeon who was operating in the Colchester area.  Her role requires a specific set of skills, patience and a forensic approach to detail whilst being able to see the wider picture.   

Francesca has previously acted for a claimant in a case that reached the Supreme Court in the case of NA v Nottinghamshire County Council. 

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Sion Wynne

Sion Wynne
Senior Solicitor

Sion is a team leader and senior solicitor with many years’ experience in dealing with a wide range of medical specialisms and different types of injuries. He is an experienced medical negligence solicitor and manages a team of lawyers within our department.

Sion joined Fletchers in 2018 as a Team Leader in the Medical Negligence Department. Throughout his 24 year legal career, he has specialised in conducting medical negligence claims on behalf of Claimants, previously working for other highly ranked leading firms in the field.

He has undertaken claims covering the full spectrum of medical specialisms, clinical settings, categories of defendant and types of negligent medical care and treatment.
These include high value and complex maximum severity cases, such as those involving limb amputations and permanent neurological injuries.

Sion is experienced at representing bereaved families at inquests and has a particular interest in fatal accident claims.

 

Notable Cases

JI v Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust: £1.25m recovered for client left paraplegic after spinal anaesthesia.

RS v Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: £150,000 recovered for client in respect of a failure to recognise complications after a kidney transplant, where her father was the donor.

JN v MA: £100,000 recovered for a client who suffered 2 years persistent pain and disability after knee replacement surgery undertaken as a private patient.

CS v Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust: £400,000 recovered for a child who sustained Erb’s palsy during her delivery.

WO’C (Deceased) v Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; £450,000 recovered for the family of the deceased who died as a result of a delay in diagnosing a brain tumour.

 

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Case Study

Sarah's Story

"Now we have peace of mind"

My husband, Nick, went back and forth to the doctors for a long time and tried everything the doctor recommended. But his illness got worse, to the point that he was in agony.

In the end we got so desperate that we asked for a referral. The doctor was reluctant, so we had to consult a private hospital. That’s when we found out there was a tumour. It took years from the onset of his illness to finally start cancer treatment.

He used to be a man with a lot to live for, but in the end he was in so much pain that he withdrew from the family. He became angry that nobody had helped him sooner, and the legal team were able to give him the validation that he was desperately seeking. The NHS confirmed if they had done more, Nick would still be alive today.

You don’t have to go through this alone – take the first step now