Hospital trust pay-out for brain-damaged taxi driver

A taxi driver who suffered brain damage after a hospital scan was not properly interpreted has been awarded a multimillion-pound pay-out.

Leslie Dye was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, after he was stabbed in the neck by a customer in May 2003.

Mr Dye, 57, suffered a cardiac arrest which left him seriously disabled and wholly dependent.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust admitted liability.

Improve services

The trust has agreed to pay Mr Dye a lump sum of 拢850,000 plus index-linked periodic payments.

Mr Dye is now cared for at the Jacob Centre, in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire.

At London's High Court earlier, Mr Justice Burnett said: "It is obvious that the consequences of the stabbing and the failures in medical care which followed had an absolutely devastating effect upon his life and on the lives of all those close to him."

A trust spokesman said: "Since the incident, the trust has worked hard to ensure the quality of its healthcare services improves and that nothing similar happens again.

"The trust has apologised to Mr Dye and his family for the quality of care he received at Princess Alexandra Hospital and wishes them all the best for the future."