telegraph.co.uk Wrote:
Aaron Blain, now 18, was two-and-a-half when the accident happened, leaving him severely disabled.
His pram was tipped over after it became tangled in the reins of a panicking horse on a farm in Stockport, Greater Manchester in June 1993
Aaron was treated at the former Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, in Pendlebury, but discharged two days later.
His parents, from Reddish, were told to monitor him closely and were advised to contact their GP if the toddler developed a runny nose, which would indicate a leakage of spinal fluid from his brain.
Two months later the boy was seen at home by his GP Dr Sean Maguire, formerly of the Park View Practice in Reddish, because he had a runny nose. His father expressed concern to Dr Maguire that the fluid escaping from his son's nose might be leakage from his brain. But the doctor diagnosed the boy with an upper respiratory infection and did not refer him back to hospital.
In October of the same year Aaron was seen by a consultant neurosurgeon because his nose was still running. The consultant made arrangements for urgent surgery.
However, before he was seen, the toddler developed meningitis and had to be treated with antibiotics before undergoing surgery. He is now deaf in his left ear, suffers from epilepsy and behavioural abnormalities.
The award of £5.75m follows a week-long High Court hearing at Chester.
Francesca Dowse, of Irwin Mitchell solicitors, said: "My clients have been waiting a long time for this day. The past years have been very cruel and traumatic for them."
Aaron's grandfather, Howard Chipman, said: "It was decided in 2005 to wait until Aaron was a little older in order to determine the amount of compensation needed for his care, and while £5.75m would seem like a lot of money, it has been estimated his care over his lifetime will amount to £10m.
"We are glad to know what we have to work with but this is not about our future, it's about Aaron's."
