Rotherham Man’s Injuries Made Worse By Delay In Emergency Services Response
21/08/2009
A delay of five hours following an emergency call to the police has been found to have contributed to a Rotherham man’s injuries, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has stated.
Following a serious car crash last November Gary Shore, 21, is still in hospital due to injuries made worse by the delay. Solicitors at Irwin Mitchell are now pursuing a brain injury claim on his behalf.
Mr. Shore is still hospitalized nine months after the accident and is being cared for in the high dependency unit at Rotherham Hospital. He suffered a severe brain injury after his car hit a tree and overturned which has left him paralysed.
Police were alerted at 9:45am on the 3rd November 2008 after a passing member of the public called to say he had seen the car leave the road. In response to the call a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) drove down the road to attempt to locate the car but failed to find Mr. Shore.
As a result Mr. Shore remained in the woods where the car had crashed until another call was received by the police at 2:00pm. Police, paramedics and the fire service managed to locate Mr. Shore and take him to the hospital.
South Yorkshire Police have been criticised by the IPCC, who say that the PCSO’s search for Mr. Shore was inadequate.
Mr. Chopra, a consultant in emergency medicine, stated in the IPCC report that Mr. Shore’s primary injuries were exacerbated by the secondary injuries he suffered as a result of the delay.
The delay in treatment meant that Mr. Shore developed additional injuries on top of an already serious trauma. He developed hypothermia and rhabdomyolysis, a potentially fatal condition where skeletal muscles are broken down, as well as severe chest infections which impacted his prospects for a better recovery.
Paul Shore, Gary’s father, said: "This accident has had an enormous impact on Gary’s life. We are extremely disappointed to hear that the delay in finding Gary has contributed to his injuries and we just hope now that Gary can make a recovery and the failings do not turn out to be any more serious than they already are."
Rachael Aram, a specialist brain injury lawyer with Irwin Mitchell said: "We are now investigating a claim on Mr. Shore’s behalf following the IPCC’s conclusion that the delay in finding Mr. Shore contributed to his injuries. Gary and his family have been through a horrific nine months and it is important now that we can try to move forwards and bring closure to the incident.
"The IPCC has made its own recommendations and it is clear that events like this can not be allowed to happen again. The report states that it should be emphasised to officers that conducting a search for a vehicle that has left the carriageway of a busy road cannot be effectively conducted from a single crewed vehicle.
"Improvements need to be made to ensure that correct policies are followed in future to avoid anybody else suffering as Gary has."
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