An error in diagnosis made eleven years ago that left an eleven year old boy with permanent neurological damage has been admitted by Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust has now agreed an undisclosed six figure out of court settlement with Liam Careless from Stalybridge, following legal action brought by clinical negligence experts at Manchester law firm Pannone.


Liam, who is now twenty three, had begun to suffer loss of feeling and total paralysis for short periods of time in June 2000. His Mum Karen took him to Tameside Hospital’s A&E Department where he underwent an X-Ray but was discharged the next day. Said Karen, “They gave Liam a soft collar to wear if his neck became any more painful and said he would be fine within a few days. They didn’t even make a follow up appointment for us to go back.”

Tragically for Liam, the X-Ray had been misinterpreted and serious damage to his spine had been missed. Prompt surgery at the time would have resulted in a complete recovery, but instead Liam has had to endure years of pain and suffering both physical and psychological.

For the next four years, Liam had problems with his neck and suffered numbness in his arms and legs, as well as shooting pains in his neck and back. Says Liam, “It was terrible, I was in all this pain and yet the only ones who believed me were my family, who all knew what I was like normally. At school I was virtually accused of ‘putting it on’ and that made matters even worse because it resulted in me being bullied. The severe pain I was having meant I also had a lot of time off school and consequently my school work suffered. School did not seem to understand or even want to understand my problems and as such they literally failed me as I left with no qualifications and a lack of self esteem.”

Back to A&E -
Then in July 2004, Liam suffered a knock at school and complained that he was unable to feel his legs. His mum Karen took him to their GP, who immediately recognised there was a major problem and had Liam taken by ambulance to A&E at Tameside Hospital.

After X-Rays and a CT scan, Liam was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he underwent further tests which revealed spinal cord compression resulting from the original injury four years before.

A series of operations followed but sadly because of the failure to spot the problem initially, Liam will now spend the rest of his life living with constant pain and suffering severe difficulties walking. He also suffers from imbalance and this results in trips and falls.


A life transformed -
Liam’s case was handled by Stephen Jones, a Partner and specialist in clinical negligence at Pannone. He commented, “No amount of money could ever compensate Liam for what happened to him. His life has been transformed due to a mistake that should never have been made. I am at least pleased that the settlement will provide Liam with financial security in the future. It has also provided his Mum, Karen, who has devoted her life to taking care of her son, with some peace of mind.”

Karen says she is relieved the legal battle is over and that her son can get on with the rest of his life. She said, “The last eleven years have been incredibly difficult and it still leaves a bitter taste to know that if the doctor who looked at the first X-Ray in June 2000 had’ve done his job properly, Liam would be as fit and healthy as any other young man. The effect on Liam and those close to him has been devastating and all because of a seemingly basic error. It is actually amazing to see that despite all his problems, Liam has developed in to an incredible young man, who I am extremely proud of.”

Musical future -
Liam is determined to be as positive as possible and now hopes to pursue his two main interests, music and photography, turning his hobbies into full time work. Music wise he is in to ‘hard dance/hardstyle’ and already has a digital EP issued under the name of ‘Lim vs Rascal’ with his musical partner. Photography too is a passion, thanks to his Uncle Stephen, who introduced him to it and Liam has an impressive portfolio of work including; landscapes, nature and macro photography subjects.

“I want to get on with my life and put the past behind me,” he said, adding, “I do feel it is important to see that lessons have been learnt from the mistakes that were made in my diagnosis. I would not want anyone else or their families to go through what we have had to go through.”