Batley amputee receives compensation for medical failures
A woman who had her leg amputated due to hospital failings has been awarded a multimillion-pound compensation deal.Molly Harbron, 26, lost her left leg in April 2020 after medics at Dewsbury Hospital failed to assess her case properly.The former carer, from Batley, West Yorkshire, has received her first payment from the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, which has paid for a new home, rehabilitation and therapies."It got to the stage where I didn't want to be here anymore because I didn't like the way I looked," she said. "I should have had two legs, not one."
'Kick in the teeth'
Mrs Harbron, who has type 1 diabetes, had gone to the A&E department at the hospital complaining of numbness in her foot and severe calf pain.Doctors suspected deep vein thrombosis and booked her in for surgery at 21:00 BST that evening.However, the operation did not happen until 13:30 BST the following day after a transfer to Leeds General Infirmary.By then, surgeons were unable to save Mrs Harbron's leg and they were later forced to amputate below the knee.Days later she had to have surgery to amputate her leg above the knee.The NHS trust later admitted that mistakes had caused the delay and confessed in a letter that if surgery had taken place earlier, her leg may have been saved. "I was very active, very fit, running three times a week, going out with friends, doing everything - something a 22-year-old does - and then that just stopped," said Mrs Harbron."It got ripped away. I am angry. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth finding out that it could have been prevented."
Mrs Harbron has received the first instalment of compensation from the trust with the rest due to be paid in 2027.The money has enabled her to move from a first floor flat to a bungalow.It has also allowed her to get a prosthetic leg specifically designed for her body, meaning she was able to pass her driving test. "I'm happy, finally, very independent," she said."I'm going out by myself, driving and shopping alone. It's incredible. It's just changed so much."Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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