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Man to Receive Compensation for Injuries Caused by Excessive Force at Birth

A man from South Wales is to receive compensation for injuries caused by excessive force at his birth which left him with a permanently paralysed left arm.

Jamie Lewis from Blackwood, Caerphilly, was delivered at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport in 1991 suffering from nerve damage in his neck after the delivery team at his birth had used excessive force to free him when he became trapped in the birth canal.

Suffering injuries similar to brachial plexus damage, Jamie grew up unable to use his left arm and hand and was unable to pursue the activities of his peers which made him a target for bullying and hindered his social development.

When Jamie was four years of age, his mother – Cheryl Lewis-Thomas – attempted to make a claim for injuries caused by excessive force at birth, but the solicitor she approached at the time declined to take the case and Cheryl dropped her action against the local health board.

Cheryl was encouraged to pursue compensation for injuries caused by excessive force at birth once again; and, when Jamie was eighteen years of age, he made a claim against the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board – which had taken over responsibility for healthcare at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

Jamie spoke with a solicitor who this time believed that he had a viable claim, and the solicitor argued successfully that the delivery team when Jamie was born had failed to follow the correct procedures after Jamie had become trapped in the birth canal.

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board accepted liability for Jamie´s arm paralysis due to the negligent actions used to free him at the time, and an out of court settlement of compensation for injuries caused by excessive force at birth was agreed for Jamie (now twenty-three years of age) amounting to £450,000.