Liability, awards and settlements

5.9, medical malpractice, award

Australia: a 10-year-old boy left with cerebral palsy after a Queensland public hospital bungled his birth was awarded A$5.3mn in compensation, the state’s largest ever personal injury payout. The victim is confined to a wheelchair and will be totally dependent on others for the rest of his life. The $5,390,397 figure includes $2.9mn to cover the victim’s future care needs, $215,000 towards therapeutic equipment and $519,000 to compensate him for future income loss. Also of significance was the awarding of $220,000 in general damages, believed to be the highest amount of general damages awarded in Queensland to date under the current Act.