Woman attempts suicide then gets compensation - WTF?!

[Dead_Cat]

Here’s a link to the story.

I’m so annoyed about this I can barely state my thoughts coherently. This woman attempts suicide and then claims compensation because the ambulance didn’t show up quickly enough?! I’m sorry (not), you deliberately endangered your life, indeed consciously attempted to cause your death, and then complain that somebody didn’t save you? Suicide attempt causes harm to yourself? Well, what a fucking surprise!

Get a fucking clue, why don’t you - save yourself the trouble by not doing it in the first place! Jeez, some years ago you could have been punished for doing this, now you get nearly $5million compensation! Compensation for what? Being a fucking idiot? There’s plenty of places in this country where that money could have been spent for the greater good, not on some attention-seeking retard who can’t even top themselves properly. Like improving the healthcare system so that deserving cases get better treatment, for one.

I could understand this award if the lady had slipped on something and hit her head, and then the ambulance crew were late and/or incompetent, causing brain damage, but this was entirely self-inflicted. If I were the judge on this one, I’d be looking for a law that allowed me to say: tough shit. Do the human race’s gene pool a favour and make a better job of it next time.

[black_rabbit]

@Dead Cat

Do the human race’s gene pool a favour and make a better job of it next time.

Go fuck yourself, shithead.

[JohnBckWLD]

@Dead Cat

I’m sorry (not), you deliberately endangered your life, indeed consciously attempted to cause your death, and then complain that somebody didn’t save you?

Akin to a mountain climber suing because the rescue chopper was delayed.

You’ll get no argument from me, but I have a feeling there’ll be a few people who’ll stop by and defend this award (or the UK’s growing ‘Compensation Culture’). When you add the terms mother & post-natal depression, you tend to find more people who are likely to conclude she was entitled to receive her £2.8m.

[black_rabbit]

And go fuck John, while you’re at it.

[KarlGauss]

Once you realize that post partum depression is an honest-to-goodness “organic” disease, it’s much harder to tolerate the shrill tone and hysterical content of your post.

She had a lethal disease and received inappropriate care for (a manifestation of) it. The fact that her disease is in the realm of the psychiatric doesn’t imply she shouldn’t qualify for standard, competent emergency care.

[JohnBckWLD]

@black455

And go fuck John, while you’re at it.

I don’t wanna fuck a dead cat, a spread pu - oh never mind.

[betenoir]

@JohnBckWLD

Akin to a mountain climber suing because the rescue chopper was delayed.

You’ll get no argument from me, but I have a feeling there’ll be a few people who’ll stop by and defend this award (or the UK’s growing ‘Compensation Culture’). When you add the terms mother & post-natal depression, you tend to find more people who are likely to conclude she was entitled to receive her £2.8m.

No, I wouldn’t defend the award. But yes…post natal depression…she was (at least I’m going on the assumption she was, that this is an accurate characterization) suffering from a serious disease. And as entitled to medical help as anyone. I assume her husband thought so when he called the ambulence. Her child might think so as far as wanting to have a mother around and not dead of a temporary disease she suffered when he was born.

Attention seeking retard??? Well…that may be accurate. Or it may not. As I said depression is a real illness.

If she slipped and hit her head? Well she was the one who dropped the soap there in the first place…all her fault. Basing medical attention on who “deserves” it is a difficult proposition.

All that said, 2.8 millon pounds??? When there wasn’t any real negligence or mistakes. Just circumtance. 2.8 millon pounds is ridiculous.

[Waenara]

@betenoir

All that said, 2.8 millon pounds??? When there wasn’t any real negligence or mistakes. Just circumtance. 2.8 millon pounds is ridiculous.

Actually, I thought that as well. Initially. But from the article in the OP:

Simon Maskrey, QC, for Mrs Burchell, who now lives with her family in Milton Keynes, told the judge that she would never work again and that she required 24-hour care. She is confined to a wheelchair with weakness in her limbs, is disorientated and has a memory span measured in seconds or minutes. Her thinking was rigid and simplistic, he said.

<snip>

David Worsfold, editor of the insurance industry publication Post, who compiled a report after the meetings, told The Times: “That sort of compensation figure is not uncommon. She’s a young mother, she’s going to need care for the rest of her life. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been awarded ten years ago, but the committee found that once these sorts of cases come to court, the results are not usually unreasonable.”

Makes sense to me. She may be need intenstive nursing care or be institutionalized for the rest of her life. Britain has a public health service - but would it cover all the costs associated with her disability?

[Knowed_Out]

Details the article left out: It said her husband called the abulance after discovering her unconscious. How long had she been out? I’m assuming, which could be wrong, that the husband came home from work and found her blotto. So she could have been out up to 8 hours before the emergency call.

The ambulance arrived 16 minutes over their deadline. Did that 16 minutes really make a difference as to the extent of her brain damage? Even if they had appeared instantaneously, would it have made a difference? Did any medical professionals testify in the case about this?

As ridiculous as this case is, at least it shows the US isn’t the only country that succumbs to frivolous lawsuits.

[Dead_Cat]

Knowed Out - excellent points, which I’d like to see the answer to as well.

@Knowed Out

As ridiculous as this case is, at least it shows the US isn’t the only country that succumbs to frivolous lawsuits.

Indeed, unfortunately we’re following in your footsteps (as usual) :).

Waenara - no, the NHS wouldn’t cover all the associated costs (no doubt partly because a significant part of its budget is spent on compensation cases :)). I’m not anti-NHS, but I am something of a right-wing libertarian in that I believe people should be able to support themselves to at least some degree. I agree with betenoir’s last line.

John and bete, nice points about people deserving medical attention. But I think the mountain climber analogy supports rather than refutes my position. As you presumably meant to imply, the mountaineer also “deliberately endangered” his life. So if the rescue is late, or cannot find him, that’s known as “bad luck”, or, more harshly “tough shit”. In my mind, they’d also have no leg to stand on [/tasteless pun].

Karl - I agree my OP was somewhat “shrill and hysterical”, and on reflection I regret some of the inflammatory language I used. I apologise if I offended anyone (apparently at least one), perhaps I went too far even for the Pit. I’ve calmed down a lot now, as I hope you can see, so let’s have a reasoned discussion about it rather than ranting - my bad. Thanks to all (but one) of you for doing so, anyway!

I admit I do not have much knowledge of depression, and maybe I’m not empathetic enough to have a good understanding of it. The fact remains, however, that suicide is a very selfish act. If that’s caused by depression (and hence warped judgment), then I guess it is a different ball game. However, my OP was not (supposed to be) opposing this woman’s right to treatment. It was more incredulity that such a huge sum should be awarded for something that was essentially her fault - treatment is available for depression, it’s fairly likely she made a rational decision not to look for it.

black455, whilst I appreciate that this is the Pit and you are therefore perfectly entitled to express yourself in the way you did, I would genuinely like to know more about why you disagree so vehemently. If it’s too personal, sorry if I touched a nerve. Please also see my apology above.

[Dead_Badger]

@JohnBckWLD

(or the UK’s growing ‘Compensation Culture’)

Cite for this increasingly annoying and under-justified soundbite? Despite (or likely because of) the relaxation of regulation covering no-win no-fee representation, personal injury claims have actually been decreasing in the UK of late. The recent increases in insurance premiums have been largely a result of the shift in liability for costs in successful suits from plaintiffs to defendants, and not the scourge of bizarro claims cherry-picked by the Daily Mail for the purposes of populist fulmination.

@Knowed Out

As ridiculous as this case is, at least it shows the US isn’t the only country that succumbs to frivolous lawsuits.

Good to see that within 10 posts the legal brains of the SDMB have proclaimed the suit entirely without merit and gone on to diagnose the structural problems of an entire country. Your absolute certitude is also slightly at odds with your transposition of the words “still conscious” to “unconscious”. An honest mistake, I’m sure, but I would hope it illustrates how quick people are being to jump to conclusions without even a full understanding of the summary article in the OP, let alone the full nuances of a major lawsuit.

[Miller]

@Dead Cat

I admit I do not have much knowledge of depression, and maybe I’m not empathetic enough to have a good understanding of it. The fact remains, however, that suicide is a very selfish act. If that’s caused by depression (and hence warped judgment), then I guess it is a different ball game. However, my OP was not (supposed to be) opposing this woman’s right to treatment. It was more incredulity that such a huge sum should be awarded for something that was essentially her fault - treatment is available for depression, it’s fairly likely she made a rational decision not to look for it.

If she was suffering from depression, then it’s very unlikely that she was capable of making a rational decision about much of anything, including seeking treatment or wether she should take her own life.

[Contrapuntal]

@Knowed Out

Details the article left out: It said her husband called the abulance after discovering her unconscious. How long had she been out?

Actually, just the opposite. From the article, bolding mine–

Her husband, Dean, called an ambulance when he found her, still conscious, at their home in Cleveleys, Blackpool.

[slaphead]

Well, without knowing the full facts of the case, it’s difficult to get too worked up one way or the other. All the articles on this I have seen indicated that there were allegations both of delay in the ambulance reaching the patient due to the crew getting lost, and of unspecified errors in treatment. What the facts where, and what the award was for, I have no idea. Presumably there will be an appeal if the ambulance service feel too hard done by.

Knowed Out - I have no idea if they have updated the linked article since you looked at it, but it currently says (my emphasis):

@The Times

Her husband, Dean, called an ambulance when he found her, still conscious, at their home in Cleveleys, Blackpool.
He said in a statement to the court that it had taken 26 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, and that the crew should have arrived in ten minutes but had got lost.

26 mins could have made a difference versus 10 mins I suppose, but it’s a bit presumptuous of the man to assume that not only will there be an ambulance ready for despatch at all times, but they will be able to unerringly find their way to his house unimpeded by traffic, roadworks, etc.

Anyhow, looks like a bit of a lose-lose scenario for all concerned. Life sucks, and all that.

[slaphead]

…and in the time it took me to preview my post, answer a question from a colleague and hit ‘submit’, I see both Dead Badger and Contrapuntal have already clarified the wording in the linked article.
Apologies for adding an unnecessary voice to that chorus.

[Dead_Cat]

@slaphead

…and in the time it took me to preview my post, answer a question from a colleague and hit ‘submit’, I see both Dead Badger and Contrapuntal have already clarified the wording in the linked article.
Apologies for adding an unnecessary voice to that chorus.

No need to apologise; you make some good points. One thing I can clarify - I believe the trust running the ambulance service settled pre-trial (though without admitting liability), so there definitely won’t be an appeal.

Miller - I didn’t realise depression could be that bad (not having had experience of it). Not to call you on it, but do you have a cite for that? I’m interested in fighting my ignorance.

[kidchameleon]

Perhaps she should sue her husband for not perceiving the PPD earlier. :rolleyes:

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

@Dead Cat

Miller - I didn’t realise depression could be that bad (not having had experience of it). Not to call you on it, but do you have a cite for that? I’m interested in fighting my ignorance.

Look here.

Or here.

Or here.

[Moirai]

My thought as well, Kid Chameleon. Her injuries seem to be a direct result of her own actions, misguided as they may have been, and not as a direct result of the 16 minute delay in the ambulance arrival.

If she has PPD, then she should have been treated for it, absolutely. But that’s not what she sued for, is it?

Sorry, but I think the judgement was wrong.

[Steve_Wright]

If this woman’s confined to a wheelchair and needs round-the-clock care, then the “ludicrous” £2.8 million award is going to be put into an investment account, and the income from that will be used to pay for the ongoing costs of care … this is what normally happens in such cases. Trouble is, you say “£2.8 million”, and it sounds like a win on the pools … but, if you consider it as “the amount needed to assure enough annual income to pay for medical care”, it sounds a lot less silly. 24 hour care comes expensive.

And, actually, if she actually needs that level of care, the NHS would most likely wind up paying for it anyway …