Subarachnoid Haemorrhage Compensation Claims
If a subarachnoid haemorrhage is misdiagnosed or you receive improper treatment due to medical negligence, it can lead to significant brain damage and, in the worst cases, death.
Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a term used to describe an injury where pressure on the brain is increased due to bleeding in the space between the brain and the skull. This can be created by blood vessels bursting or leaking.
JMW's clinical negligence team has helped many people who have endured significant complications due to a lack of care to make successful compensation claims. With years of experience, we have a thorough understanding of how a subarachnoid haemorrhage can affect your life, and handle every claim with sensitivity and care. We have handled many subarachnoid haemorrhage claims on behalf of clients who have been injured as a result of medical negligence.
Speak to one of our expert solicitors today if you or a family member have suffered following a misdiagnosis or lack of care for a free initial chat about your circumstances. We provide a no win, no fee legal service for our medical negligence claims including those involving a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Contact us today by calling 0345 872 6666, or complete our online enquiry form and we will call you back.
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How JMW Can Help
If a subarachnoid haemorrhage has not been diagnosed or treated correctly, you may have to live with the consequential effects of that, which may affect your ability to go about your day-to-day life. Pursuing a claim can deliver compensation that will help you to find a way forward, secure rehabilitation and ensure you receive the best possible care.
The expert solicitors at JMW understand how devastating the after-effects of a subarachnoid haemorrhage can be, not just for the individual, but also for their family. This is why we will do all we can to provide clear advice, pursue your claim expeditiously and offer support and guidance throughout the claims process.
We are highly experienced in claims of this type and will help you get the outcome and compensation you deserve. Our medical negligence team is among the most highly-regarded in the UK and includes members of the Law Society’s specialist panel of clinical negligence solicitors as well as the Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA) solicitors’ panel.
Meet Our Team
Our team provides expert advice and compassionate support for individuals affected by subarachnoid haemorrhage due to medical negligence, helping you navigate the legal process and secure the compensation you deserve.
Case Studies
What Is a Subarachnoid Haemorrhage?
A subarachnoid haemorrhage is a type of bleeding on the surface of the brain, specifically in the area between the brain and the thin tissues covering it. This space is called the subarachnoid space, and it is normally filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions the brain and spinal cord. When bleeding occurs in this space, it can increase pressure on the brain, reduce blood flow, and damage surrounding brain cells.
The most common cause of a subarachnoid haemorrhage is a ruptured brain aneurysm - a weak spot in a blood vessel wall that balloons out and bursts. Other possible causes include head trauma, arteriovenous malformations (abnormal tangles of blood vessels), bleeding disorders or anticoagulant medication.
Some people recover well from a subarachnoid haemorrhage, but others experience long-term complications, ranging from memory problems - including personality change - and difficulties with concentration to more extreme consequences, both physically and mentally. In some cases, you may experience a stroke caused by a subarachnoid haemorrhage injury, and these injuries can even be fatal in the most extreme circumstances.
As such, if you present with any key symptoms, it’s that vital doctors and healthcare professionals order the necessary tests and make a correct diagnosis as early as possible.
When a subarachnoid haemorrhage occurs, it typically causes a sudden and very severe headache. Other symptoms may include:
- Stiff neck
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sensitivity to light
- Confusion or loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Weakness on one side of the body
Symptoms may appear suddenly and worsen quickly, which is why immediate medical attention is essential. A subarachnoid haemorrhage can be a life-threatening condition if the correct and prompt treatment isn’t received, or it is simply not diagnosed.
Making a Claim for Subarachnoid Haemorrhage Negligence
Diagnosing a subarachnoid haemorrhage is not always simple, as early symptoms, such as headaches, can be easily dismissed as something less serious. However, clinicians and medical staff should understand the warning signs.
If a patient has symptoms, and a medical professional does not act accordingly, leading to a more disabling or even fatal haemorrhage, then this may be considered negligent. Negligence may also occur if mistakes are made during an operation, to repair a brain aneurysm for example, which can lead to greater and long-lasting damage.
In addition, where medical negligence has been the cause of a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a misdiagnosis, or a worsening of your condition, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Compensation can help you to pay for any private medical care or lifestyle changes you need to make to accommodate your injury, together with its impact on your life, and may include provision for:
- The pain and suffering caused
- Loss of income
- Therapy costs
- Full or part-time care
- Suitable accommodation
- Specialist equipment
A subarachnoid haemorrhage is a significant injury and, when you claim compensation through JMW, our experienced and knowledgeable medical negligence solicitors will work to secure the maximum compensation that you are entitled to.
How Can Treatment Be Negligent?
Medical negligence may occur if a doctor, nurse, neurologist, radiologist, paramedic or other healthcare professional fails to meet the expected standard of care, and additionally this makes the effect of a subarachnoid haemorrhage worse. There are several potential ways that the treatment surrounding a subarachnoid haemorrhage can manifest and result in a potential medical negligence claim. These include:
Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
A subarachnoid haemorrhage could be mistaken for a migraine, tension headache or viral illness. If a doctor fails to recognise the hallmark symptoms - such as a sudden, severe headache described as a "thunderclap headache" - they may not order the urgent brain imaging required to detect the bleed. Further examples of negligence include doctors failing to take your symptoms seriously and/or referring you for the relevant tests.
In cases where this leads to a delay in treating the bleed, patients may face a risk of rebleeding (which can be fatal or cause further brain damage), and an increased chance of complications such as hydrocephalus or vasospasm.
Failure to refer or escalate care
If a patient presents to their GP or an out-of-hours service with signs that are suggestive of a subarachnoid haemorrhage, they should be referred immediately to hospital for a scan and further investigation. Failing to do so could mean the haemorrhage progresses without any intervention, and removes the opportunity to repair an aneurysm before it develops or ruptures again. In turn, this can lead to a deterioration in the patient’s condition due to rising intracranial pressure or reduced blood flow to the brain.
If a doctor's failure to refer you to a specialist for subarachnoid haemorrhage caused your symptoms or prognosis to get worse, you may be entitled to make a claim.
Inadequate monitoring or aftercare
Even after a subarachnoid haemorrhage is diagnosed and treated, close monitoring is vital. Failure to monitor for complications like seizures, hydrocephalus or vasospasm could allow avoidable damage to occur. If you experience a stroke or further brain injury caused by vasospasm, or any cognitive or neurological impairments because aftercare was insufficient, you may be entitled to make a claim.
FAQs About Subarachnoid Haemorrhage Claims
- What should I do if I think a subarachnoid haemorrhage has been misdiagnosed?
If you believe that a subarachnoid haemorrhage has been misdiagnosed, it is vital to act quickly by seeking medical help. You may be referred for a scan or further tests, and quite often getting treatment as soon as possible is the most important factor.
If you believe you have suffered poor treatment regarding the diagnosis, management or treatment of a subarachnoid haemorrhage, then you should contact an experienced solicitor as soon as possible. The team of specialist medical negligence solicitors here at JMW are experts in these complex cases, and will ensure you receive the maximum compensation if your case is successful.
To begin the process of making a claim and investigating the treatment received for a subarachnoid haemorrhage, give us a call today and provide us with some details on your case. We will then go over the next steps and provide you with advice on whether you have a strong case.
- What will my solicitor do?
Our expert clinical negligence solicitors work with leading and independent medical experts who can advise on whether the care you received was negligent. The experts will also be able to say if the outcome would have been different with the right treatment.
Once we have these expert reports, we will write to the healthcare trust or doctor responsible to set out the facts of the case and our allegations. We may also instruct a barrister once the case has been investigated, and we will ensure that you are provided with the necessary support and advice at each key stage of the case.
Of course, we understand that a financial claim will not change what has happened, but it may bring financial security or peace of mind that can help you and the people around you to have the best possible quality of life.
- How will my solicitor know if my treatment was negligent?
The first step is to request your medical records and complete a thorough review of these to see if there were any problems with the care that may have been negligent. Next, we will instruct leading medical experts who practise in the relevant medical fields to provide a report of the care and how you have been affected,. We will then assess the reports to determine whether the treatment was negligent or not, and whether we can take the case forward.
- How long will it take for me to receive compensation?
Clinical negligence claims are complex by their nature, and each has its own individual factors that can influence how long it takes to settle. A lot also comes down to how responsive and efficient the opponent is and the availability of leading experts who will be critical to the case.
JMW’s aim is always to ensure the case proceeds as quickly as possible, and we work very hard to achieve that, but not at the expense of the quality of experts we instruct. We will do all we can to push things forward for you.
- How much does it cost to make a subarachnoid haemorrhage claim?
Most of our subarachnoid haemorrhage negligence claims are funded through a conditional fee agreement on a no win, no fee basis.
What this means is that if you lose your case and aren’t awarded any compensation, you will not have to pay any fees. As such, there is no financial risk to you if you choose to make a claim.
- How much compensation can I claim for a subarachnoid haemorrhage injury claim?
Every single case is different. With this in mind, the final amount of compensation awarded for this claim will always differ depending on the unique factors of a case. The amount of compensation awarded will be based on the severity of the injury, how you have been affected financially and what you are going to need to try and put you in the position you were in had the negligence never occurred.
You may be entitled to recover damages to cover:
- Loss of earnings both future and past
- Long-term care
- House and vehicle adaptations, if required
- Therapy, equipment and aids
- How much time do I have to make a subarachnoid haemorrhage claim?
If you believe that you have received negligent care, it’s very important that you seek advice from a lawyer who specialises in these cases as early as you can. This is due to the fact that there are strict time limits on when you can make a claim.
In general, you can usually make a subarachnoid haemorrhage claim within three years from the date that the incident occurred, or the date that you were first aware that you had suffered a severe brain injury or illness due to medical negligence. While some exceptions may apply - such as when claiming on behalf of someone who lacks the mental capacity to claim - it is best to speak to a solicitor at your earliest opportunity to start the process.
- Will the medical professional apologise if proven wrong?
As part of the medical negligence claims process, it is often possible to obtain an apology for clients from the healthcare provider, but the Court cannot order this. The only thing the Court can do is award compensation.
Why Choose JMW?
At JMW, we have supported many clients who have suffered medical negligence to make brain injury claims, including those involving a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Compensation secured through a successful claim can support your recovery, cover any financial losses caused by your negligent treatment, and help you to move forward from your experience.
Our team includes experienced medical negligence solicitors who specialise in subarachnoid haemorrhage injury claims. We can make sure you get suitable treatment for your symptoms and understand your options if you need help adjusting to new circumstances. We have a strong track record of success and often secure compensation for subarachnoid haemorrhage misdiagnosis through settlement, without the need for court proceedings.
If you believe negligence has occurred and want to seek compensation, get in touch with our experienced medical negligence team today. We can offer a free initial consultation where our medical negligence experts will talk about your experiences, let you know whether you are entitled to claim, and start the process on your behalf.
Talk to Us
To discuss your subarachnoid haemorrhage claim with a solicitor, get in touch by calling 0345 872 6666, or by filling in our online enquiry form to request a call back. We can provide no win, no fee legal services, and a free consultation about your situation and how we might be able to help you.
