Boy deprived of oxygen at birth wins record settlement

01 Jul 2008

A nine-year-old boy left severely disabled when medical staff made errors during his birth has been awarded £8 million in compensation. Owen Johnson, from Dudley, West Midlands, sustained brain damage during his birth at Wordsley Hospital, Dudley, on April 18 1999, after he was temporarily deprived of oxygen.

As a result, he suffers from choreoathetoid cerebral palsy, rendering him unable to dress or feed himself properly.

The settlement, believed to be one of the largest of its kind in the UK, includes a lump sum payment of £2 million, to be followed by annual payments.

Thanks largely to both Owen and his mother, Sally's personal determination and the hard work of staff at both the Foundation for Conductive Education and Sledmere Primary School, he has amazed the medical experts who predicted he would never be able to walk.

Owen can now walk short distances and his speech is improving. However, we need to balance the progress he has made with the fact that he will need 24 hour care and support for the rest of his life.

"This settlement, which we believe is one of the largest in a cerebral palsy claim, reflects the fact that Owen has a long life expectancy and will require adequate funds to purchase the significant care that he will require for many years."

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