justice
Blind after medical errors: Patient receives compensation for pain and suffering
The entrance portal of the Bonn district court – a decision on compensation for pain and suffering was made here. photo
©Oliver Berg/dpa
According to the court, the doctors did not react to various warning signs in good time. That’s why the man gets compensation for pain and suffering – even more than requested.
The Bonn regional court has awarded a man 200,000 euros in compensation for suffering pain and suffering because he became blind due to medical errors. As a spokeswoman for the court announced today, two clinics in Bonn and Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia have to pay the sum.
The plaintiff had originally demanded 100,000 euros in damages. Because of the serious error, the chamber finally doubled the amount (file number: LG Bonn 9 O 109/20).
The 33-year-old has had a cyst in his head since birth. For this reason, a so-called shunt system was implanted in him, which drains the fluid collected in the cyst through a valve so that no pressure can build up in the brain. In 2016, the man suddenly suffered from headaches and dizziness and was then examined.
According to the court, doctors at the two hospitals failed to respond to various warning signs in a timely manner. In the end, the optic nerve was so damaged by the no longer functioning shunt system that the man from Euskirchen went blind. According to the judgement, this could have been avoided.