Hospital payout branded a huge relief
The parents of a boy who was left brain damaged during birth today said it had been an "emotional end" to a traumatic 11 years after he was awarded £6 million in compensation.
Joseph O'Reggio suffered permanent brain injuries after midwives at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital failed to recognise he was being starved of oxygen during birth in April 2001.
His mother and father Rachel and Julian O'Reggio, from Wednesfield, have battled hard to get justice for their beloved son.
Mrs O'Reggio, who works as a credit manager, said: "It really has been an emotional 11 years.
"It's a huge relief that it's all over now. But we will use this money to get our son the care and equipment he needs."
Joseph, who is now aged 11, was left with cerebral palsy, severe learning difficulties and cannot speak or feed himself.
Mrs O'Reggio, aged 40, went into labour on the morning of April 13, 2001 after a healthy pregnancy. But the following day Joseph's heart rate dropped. It wasn't until just before 10pm that specialist help was called for. He was delivered at 10.45pm, but the brain damage had already occurred. Mrs O'Reggio said: "When I was in labour I didn't realise Joseph was in distress. The next morning they said that our baby was in a critical condition."
The family started legal proceedings just before Joseph, a pupil at Penn Hall School, turned one. "We had a gut feeling about the care at New Cross," said 39-year-old credit manager Mr O'Reggio. "We had a meeting with the hospital after six weeks and were told Rachel should have had a caesarean."
The couple won the right to claim a seven-figure compensation package at the High Court in June 2011. This paved the way for the care package approved yesterday at the Royal Courts of Justice.
The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, agreed the seven figure payout yesterday.
