Thompsons Solicitors has secured compensation for a man who had his right leg amputated above the knee after waiting several days for an urgent surgical procedure. 

The man, who was 74 years old at the time, urgently attended the accident and emergency department of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Talbot Green, South Wales, after suffering excruciating pain in his right leg. It turned out he was experiencing claudication of his arteries. 

Despite signs of the obstruction and a lack of blood flow, progress in his treatment was slow and he wasn’t operated on until four days later and needed further surgery the day after as the initial operation wasn’t successful. 

The delay in diagnosis and delays in surgery caused such damage to the man’s leg the only option in the second operation was to amputate it. Surgeons initially amputated below the knee, but further problems meant he needed additional surgery to amputate above the knee. 

The man now has a prosthetic limb, severely limiting his mobility. He had to pay for adaptations to his home and can only drive an adapted car. 

He contacted medical negligence specialists Thompsons Solicitors to make a personal injury compensation claim. 

Thompsons Solicitors has a proud history of supporting victims of medical negligence for more than 90 years. We have only ever acted for injured people, never for insurers, and we are committed to continuing to do so.

Cathryn Davies of Thompsons Solicitors

“Thanks to the dedicated team at Thompsons Solicitors, my wife and I finally feel vindicated,” he said. “The hospital refused to acknowledge our complaints of poor care and treatment, and ignored us, but Thompsons Solicitors did not. We cannot thank them enough for that. 

“Because of the compensation package I have been able to regain some of my previous mobility, but I am still severely limited when it comes to doing many of the activities I used to do frequently, such as going out for long walks with my wife. If my condition had been diagnosed sooner, I would have not had to lose my leg.” 

Cathryn Davies, of Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Personal injury claims for medical negligence are often challenging to prove. Even though individuals may feel their treatment was poor, we need an independent expert to confirm that the treatment, or lack of it, was negligent. In this case, our independent vascular consultant supported our view that appropriate treatment earlier on would have significantly reduced the need for amputation of our client’s leg. 

“We work with a team of experts to value the losses suffered by our clients to ensure they are compensated for all their losses. 

“Thompsons Solicitors has a proud history of supporting victims of medical negligence for more than 90 years. We have only ever acted for injured people, never for insurers, and we are committed to continuing to do so.”