Woman wins $9.3 million payout
A woman who was left to wait more than 100 minutes for an ambulance to arrive has won a massive payout of $9.3 million after the incident left her brain damaged.
Scientist Caren Paterson collapsed in her apartment in Islington, north London, in October 2007.
Her boyfriend called emergency services as Paterson laid unconscious, breathing abnormally and had blue lips.
However, despite the emergency, ambulance crew waited for more than an hour to respond as the address Paterson was living in was on the "high risk" register, law firm Irwin Mitchell said.
As there were no police available to escort the ambulance, the medical team waited just 100 metres from the flat for more than an hour to respond.
Paterson suffered from a cardiac arrest just five minutes before the emergency crew arrived, and more than 100 minutes after the initial call was made.
As a result of the incident, Paterson suffered from chronic amnesia, confusion and disorientation, and now requires 24-hour care for the rest of her life.
Judge Richard Parkes QC agreed to a proposed settlement against the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, consisting of a lump sum payment plus an annual payment for the rest of Paterson's life.
Afterwards, Mrs Paterson said: "My daughter was a successful and ambitious scientist but it is so distressing that all of her aspirations and ambitions have been taken away from her because of her brain injury.
"I was determined to ensure Caren had access to the best possible care and support for the rest of her life and it is such a huge relief that the settlement has been approved today.
"Clearly we would rather not be in this situation at all and nothing will ever return our daughter to how she was before. But it is a weight off our minds to know that she will now be able to continue to receive the care, treatment and specialist attention that she needs.
"The thought of an ambulance crew sitting waiting round the corner while my daughter lay in her flat as her condition went from serious to life-threatening, causing irreparable damage to her brain, is still shocking and I hope no-one ever has to go through what we have."
